


The Last Hero

by HappyCamper41 (orphan_account)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir-centric, Akuma Possession, Akumatized Main Character(s), Akumatized Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Angst, F/M, Graphic Description, Injury, Mild Language, Not Beta Read, Post-Episode: s03 Miracle Queen (The Battle of the Miraculous Part 2), might continue this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:09:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27037738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/HappyCamper41
Summary: The weight of Paris is placed on Adrien Agreste's shoulders when Ladybug- now the Guardian following Chloe's betrayal- is no longer available to fight.At least not on his side...
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 54
Kudos: 161





	1. Chapter 1

“Can’t believe they’re making us come here again.” Nino muttered to Adrien, as the two boys reached the front steps of their school.

An intangible _gloom_ hung over the building, not that high schools were typically in high spirits, but today was worse than usual. All of the students and faculty- probably the entire city, actually- were rattled by yesterday's events. Adrien wasn't transformed, and consequently didn't have his enhanced hearing, but he still had no issue determining what all of the hushed and nervous conversations were about.

“It is pretty stupid.” Adrien said, shrugging indifferently. He was unable to stop himself from wincing as he placed too much weight on his left ankle, prompting a concerned look from Nino.

“Dude, is everything-”

“It’s _fine.”_ Adrien cut him off nastily, but he quickly sighed, “Sorry, I’m just worried about… all of this.”

_And hurt._ But Nino didn’t need to know that. His injuries weren’t serious enough that he couldn’t hide them- a long sleeve shirt and concealer was enough to cover the bruises and scrapes, and it wasn’t like anybody at home paid enough attention to notice anything out of the ordinary. His skin stung from the villain’s poison- Adrien silently worried about any long term effects- but that was pretty much the extent of the damage. Other than his ankle, of course. It was clearly damaged, but it definitely wasn’t broken. He just had to be careful not to draw too much attention to it.

At least for now. Kagami _definitely_ wasn't going to let him off the hook when they met up later.

“I get that.” Nino said quietly, “I just wish I could help… if Chat Noir can get his hands on my Miraculous, then maybe-”

“I’m sure he’d have done that right away if he could.” Adrien said miserably.

The battle with Miracle Queen had resulted in every single one of Ladybug’s backup heroes (except for Multimouse) getting their identities exposed to the city, including Nino. He had been Carapace, the part-time wielder of the Turtle Miraculous, and Adrien found himself desperately wishing that he could call on him for help.

Or any of the other heroes, for that matter, but there was sadly nothing that Adrien could do. Ladybug was the one to control the Miracle Box after Master Fu’s retirement, and Adrien had no idea what had happened to it.

"Still crossing my fingers." Nino said wistfully, "Chat Noir's going to need all of the help he can get..."

Both boys were distracted by the sound of somebody crying. Juleka was in tears, hunched down near the entrance, with Mylene and Alix both comforting her, all three of them looking completely _miserable._ Ordinarily, Adrien would be rushing to the bathroom to prepare for the inevitable akuma, but that wouldn’t be the case today.

“Everything’s okay over here?” Nino asked, as the two boys approached awkwardly.

“Just _peachy.”_ Alix snapped, and Mylene shrugged helplessly.

“It- it’s Rose…” Juleka muttered through her tears, “The akuma… her apartment…”

“Holy shit!” Nino’s eyes widened, “Is she-”

“She’s in the hospital.” Mylene said quickly, “Still alive… but she’s not waking up anytime soon.”

“Not unless Chat Noir can somehow turn the tables.” Alix said with a huff, and Adrien felt even more uncomfortable than before. Guilt coursed through the blond boy, and he found himself unable to look at any of the girls in front of him. It was his job to keep people like them safe, and he had failed miserably.

Rose was in the hospital… who else? Adrien flinched as he realized that a _lot_ of people weren’t even as lucky as her. Ladybug’s power would ordinarily restore anybody lost during the fight, but there was no guarantee of that happening anytime soon.

“I’m sure Chat Noir is doing everything he can.” Nino said, but his voice was hesitant, like he really wasn’t sure, “If anybody can talk Ladybug down… it’s him.”

_Well that’s not true._

__________

The previous day’s battle came rushing back to Adrien, and he was momentarily dazed as he recalled the sheer _hatred_ that was glowing in his lady’s eyes. Usually a soft and gorgeous blue, her eyes were now a harsh and putrid _orange_ that he was still yet to unsee.

Ladybug- or rather, _Lady Meloidae-_ had been in the process of pulling down the Bourgeois family helicopter with her yoyo, super strength winning out against powerful machinery. Her costume was now completely black, with orange spots that matched her eyes, and what looked to be a utility belt where her yoyo was normally, with a variety of tools that Chat Noir had been forced to deal with in the ensuing fight.

She still had her yoyo, of course, and Adrien reflexively put a hand on his cheek where a particularly _nasty_ strike from the instrument had thrown him off balance. It still stung a bit, even through the protection that his transformation afforded.

_“Here kitty kitty…”_ Lady Meloidae had abandoned her prize the moment she spotted Chat Noir, but the helicopter spiralled out of control nonetheless. 

Chat had moved quickly, rescuing Chloe and her mother from the chopper’s cabin, but he was unable to get the pilot. He had watched helplessly as the helicopter spun towards the city below, crashing into an apartment building- was it Rose’s? Many other buildings had been damaged in the ensuing battle, so Adrien honestly didn’t know…

“A problem with the air traffic, bugaboo?” Chat Noir tried to grin and quip as he set the two women down on a rooftop, but it came out as more of a grimace and a whimper.

Chloe was attempting to leave town with her mother, apparently headed for New York. Following Queen Bee’s betrayal and subsequent akumatization into Miracle Queen, Ladybug and Chat Noir had publicly denounced the blonde girl. She was almost certainly fleeing the country to avoid prosecution, something that could compromise her father’s political future but _might_ save her from terrorism charges. There were some rumors of a possible pardon, but the French government wasn't _completely_ incompetent- the public wouldn't stand for Chloe going unpunished this time.

Neither would Ladybug, apparently.

Lady Meloidae sneered in response, “Chloe doesn’t get to leave, _kitty!_ Not after everything she’s done to us.” She took a deep breath, practically shaking with rage, “She’s going to **pay** for all of this… with her **blood!”**

Chloe’s eyes widened with fear, and even her mother looked startled by the declaration. Chat could only stare, for a long moment, eyes wide with horror. She was under the influence of an akuma, obviously, but the violent declaration was still nerve-racking.

Chat Noir took a deep breath, and drew his baton as he stood between his fallen partner and her blonde target.

“Ladybug…” The last traces of his teasing facade vanished, and he could only stare at his fallen partner, “This isn’t you. What Chloe did was _wrong,_ we all know that.” The blonde girl scoffed, and Chat gave her a nasty look, “But the Ladybug I know would _never-”_

“I’m not the Ladybug you know.” The villain shook her head, something near tears brewing in her putrid orange eyes, “It’s Lady Meloidae, now.”

“Ladybug-”

_“Don’t.”_ She hissed, and Chat Noir felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, “That is _not_ my name. Not anymore.”

Chat Noir took another steadying breath. He shot Chloe another nasty look, quickly coming to the conclusion that she was somehow the one responsible for his lady’s akumatization. Her betrayal had stung Adrien, to be sure, but it must’ve _destroyed_ Ladybug. After all of the trust Ladybug had placed in Chloe- in _Queen Bee-_ seeing her fall to evil of her own volition must’ve hurt much more than she had let on.

Granted, it had been two _months_ since Chloe's betrayal, but that was all he had to go off of for now...

“You’re stronger than _this!”_ Chat Noir insisted, gesturing towards a small fleet of firetrucks and ambulances moving towards the crash site. The fire from the helicopter crash was spreading, and a _lot_ more people were going to get seriously injured or killed if things didn’t get under control, “You’re stronger than Chloe… and Hawkmoth, too! You can’t let him-”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lady Meloidae spat, literal sparks flashing in her eyeballs, “You wanna talk about strength, _kitty?_ Well, I’m stronger now than I’ve _ever_ been before!”

And before Chat Noir could respond, or try to talk her down in any way, Lady Meloidae leapt straight towards him…

__________

His friends were still talking.

“Yeah, Chat Noir can do this… probably.” Mylene said anxiously.

“You sound confident.” Adrien said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

“It’s not about ‘confidence,’ _Agreste.”_ Alix scowled at him, “Either Chat Noir is going to win this thing…” She winced, “or we’re all going to lose. So _yeah,_ we’re not exactly in high spirits.”

Nino shot him a nasty look, but Adrien wasn’t in a position to care. Ordinarily, he’d be caught dead before ragging on his friends in any way, but today was different for a lot of reasons. Adrien knew what he had to do, and the support of his classmates- while it would’ve been nice- wasn’t what he needed.

“Any idea what upset Ladybug so much?” Mylene asked nervously, clearly uncomfortable to see them argue.

Adrien was about to respond, when he sensed somebody else standing next to him.

“What do you _care?”_ The dark-haired girl said coldly, and all five of the students stared at her in shock.

Marinette, despite her usual charm and friendliness, looked downright _hostile._ Her hair was darker than usual- had she dyed it? She was sporting her usual attire, but the t-shirt underneath her blazer didn’t have its usual flower design. More notable than any of her physical changes, however, was how disheveled she looked along with her anger- as if she hadn’t gotten any sleep or a chance to shower.

“I’d assume she cares because the fate of our city hangs in the balance.” Alix’s ire was shifted away from Adrien and towards Marinette, “And maybe, just _maybe,_ Mylene wants to know why our greatest defender got herself akumatized.”

“Really, it’s fine.” Mylene said, desperate to end any arguments, “I think that’s enough about… Ladybug.” Adrien couldn’t help but notice Marinette _flinch_ when Mylene said the heroine’s name, “Marinette, Juleka and the rest of us were thinking about visiting Rose in the hospital today after school.”

“Rose is in the hospital?” Something indiscernible flashed across Marinette’s face.

“It happened during the attack yesterday.” Nino supplied, and Marinette immediately looked away.

“I… see.” She said, and promptly turned to walk towards the classroom.

Adrien, Nino, Alix, and Mylene all stared in confusion as the girl walked away, not sparing them another look as she marched away from her friends and towards the women's restroom. Even Juleka was able to stop crying for a moment, watching Marinette with an expression of utter bewilderment.

“You know something, Agreste?” Alix turned back towards Adrien with an odd look, “I was getting ready to say that _you_ were acting strange today…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien mopes around, while Marinette reveals herself to be the ideal cold-hearted goth girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sounds like everybody wants this to continue, and I'm more than happy to :)
> 
> Warning: I have a VERY rough outline, but there's a lot of this fic that I'm still undecided about. Namely, I'm not sure what the ship endgame will be, and I'm not sure exactly how certain bits of the resolution will work. It might fall apart later on into a bit of a mess, so bear with me please haha.

Lady Meloidae shut the bathroom door behind her, the words of her friends still ringing in her head. Rose was in the hospital… Alix, Mylene, and Nino had all agreed. It had happened because of her battle with Chat Noir, which made it _her_ fault… didn’t it?

_“Pull yourself together.”_ She couldn’t see Hawkmoth, but the scowl in his voice was unmistakable.

Lady Meloidae looked around in a panic, as the purple butterfly outlined on her face was _very_ visible, but nobody seemed to be around. The bathroom belonged to her alone for the moment… and Hawkmoth. She honestly couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing.

“I’m sorry…” She whispered, rubbing her eyes to wipe away the tears, “I just… I can’t- Rose… she’s my friend, and I-”

_“Lady Meloidae has no friends.”_ Hawkmoth corrected, and she blinked in confusion.

_No friends._ That didn’t sound right. Lady Meloidae was friends with lots of people- Alya, Nino, Chat Noir, Juleka, Alix, Mylene, Kim… and _Adrien._ Even though he had lost his way… seduced by that _witch,_ surely he still cared? Surely all of her friends still cared-

_“Those children were the friends of Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”_ Hawkmoth must’ve sensed her thoughts, **_“Not_** _Lady Meloidae.”_

She stared at the girl in the mirror, bluebell eyes tainted by tears and fears regarding her with something near _disgust._ Lady Meloidae bristled, realizing that whether Hawkmoth knew it or not, something of Marinette Dupain-Cheng lived on inside of her. It was up to Lady Meloidae to take care of her… and fulfill Hawkmoth’s wishes.

It was only then that she would be allowed to take care of her own wants. The people that had wronged Marinette were going to _suffer-_ that much was certain.

“I’m not Marinette…” Lady Meloidae agreed quietly, surprised by how sad that observation made her, “That’s… a good thing?”

_“A very good thing.”_ Hawkmoth whispered, clearly pleased by her words, _“And you’re not Ladybug, either.”_ He paused, clearly considering his words, _“In any case, you need not concern yourself with any damage caused by your actions. Chat Noir is the one choosing to stop you from achieving your goals. Any ensuing battle is **his** responsibility, and not yours.”_

The mention of Chat Noir was enough to throw her off again. The feline hero was Ladybug’s best friend, and one of the most courageous people she knew. 

Sure, he was the one that had gotten her akumatized… but he didn’t know that. Fighting him was wrong, wasn’t it? Her yoyo had bruised his face, and some of her more vicious attacks had even drawn blood. She winced as she recalled the look of agony on his face as she slammed a broken helicopter blade into his ankle. 

Ladybug wouldn’t do that to her kitty…

_**“Ladybug**_ _wouldn’t.”_ Hawkmoth agreed, _“But you’re not Ladybug, nor are you Marinette. You, my dear, are-”_

“-Lady Meloidae.” She finished, and immediately perked up at the clarity granted by this title.

Ladybug wouldn’t have hurt Chat Noir… but that _definitely_ hadn’t stopped Chat Noir from hurting Ladybug. He had played with her heart in a way that was simply unforgivable... intentionally or not.

Lady Meloidae fingered her earrings gleefully, dismissing her previous thoughts, “When do I get to transform again?”

_“Stay in school.”_ Hawkmoth directed, a good influence for once, _“You must not arouse any suspicion amongst your peers. None but I can know about your… extracurricular activities. And nobody else can know about the guidance I’m offering you.”_

__________

The rest of the day was a blur for Adrien.

All of the teachers- even Ms. Mendeleev- seemed as demoralized as the students, and were consequently far more lenient to their students. Three of his seven classes were just free periods, and the remaining four had only token assignments to complete. It gave everybody more time than ever to just _talk,_ but almost nobody availed themselves of that opportunity.

Most of the girls besides Marinette and Alya (the latter of which was absent) spent the time comforting Juleka about what happened to Rose, while Max was showing the boys a statistical analysis of yesterday’s battle that he’d whipped up overnight. According to Max’s model, Chat Noir had only an eleven percent chance of defeating Lady Meloidae in a fair fight, a figure that was less than inspiring.

“Especially considering Chat Noir’s injuries yesterday, the chances of Lady Meloidae losing are slim.” Max explained, and Adrien winced reflexively at the mention of the hits he’d taken during the fight.

“Yeah, but _eleven percent?”_ Nino shook his head, “That’s low.”

“This is of course assuming that Chat Noir doesn’t recruit any backup.” Max explained as he straightened his glasses.

“King Monkey would be his best bet.” Kim said proudly, and the boys all let out a collective sigh.

“Actually, my figures suggest that Chat Noir would yield the best results if he used Viperion.” Max explained without missing a beat, “He is the only other hero that is a proven strategist, and the power of second chance would prove to be a _vital_ safety net if things spiral out of control. Ideally, he would of course gather more than a single ally, but-”

“What do you mean Viperion’s the only proven strategist?” Kim looked genuinely hurt.

“I omitted myself in this analysis for the sake of objectivity.” Max said with a chuckle, “But for the record, I do think that Chat Noir’s chances of victory would increase substantially with Pegasus by his side- he would have a twenty-three percent chance if I accompanied him.”

“Still less than fifty.” Adrien muttered, quietly enough that none of the other boys could hear him.

Hearing the broad lack of faith in his superhero self certainly wasn’t doing anything to improve Adrien’s poor spirits. Making matters worse was the stinging realization that he didn’t necessarily disagree with Max's ‘analysis.’ His chances of beating Ladybug alone were already slim to none, and that was before her powers got boosted by Hawkmoth.

“Carapace could help.” Nino suggested, but Max shook his head.

“With Carapace helping, Chat Noir’s chances only increase to fifteen percent- twenty if Rena Rouge joined, since you two tend to come as a pair.” Max explained, and Adrien felt a headache growing, “Granted, this ignores the potential drawbacks of Ladybug psychologically tormenting you by bringing up your home life, as well as-”

“Oh, bullshit.” Nino rolled his eyes, “You give him an eleven percent chance alone, while Alya and I together only raise it to _twenty?”_

“My analysis is completely-”

Adrien finally decided to tune them out, having heard enough doomsday predictions for the day. He looked at the seat in front of him, where Marinette was quietly working on her assignment. Alya was absent- grounded for sneaking out to film the akuma fight, according to Nino- meaning that the dark-haired girl was on her own today. As far as Adrien knew, she hadn’t said anything since the confrontation with Alix and Juleka earlier, which he found a bit sad.

After all, Marinette was a very friendly girl, and Adrien hated seeing her all on her own.

“Hey.” Adrien said softly, gesturing to the seat next to her, “Do you wanna compare answers?”

Marinette tilted her head, looking at Adrien with something near confusion, “Um… why?”

“Because we’re friends?” Adrien shifted uncomfortably, “I mean, if you’d rather not-”  
  


“By all means.” Marinette interrupted robotically, and tapped the seat next to her impatiently, “I’ve answered everything except for the last two…”

They fell into an easy conversation about the assignment- almost _too_ easy. Usually, Marinette was quite shy with Adrien, even distant. But now, Marinette seemed to have shut down… like this busy work on a stressful day was the most important thing in her life right now. Something seemed to be wrong with her, but Adrien couldn’t seem to put a finger on it.

“So, did you dye your hair?” Adrien finally asked, when there was a break in the conversation.

She tilted her head, “Pardon me?”

“Your hair.” Adrien repeated, “It’s much darker than usual. Did you dye it?”

“I suppose I must have.” Marinette said flatly, “What did you get for question six?”

Realizing that his friend wasn’t in the mood for idle chat, Adrien decided to just supply his answer to the question. The silence between them quickly returned, more awkward than before, and Adrien was surprised to notice Marinette staring at him out of the corner of her eye.

“You have… fencing.” Marinette said, “Right after school today.”

“...yeah.” Adrien blinked, “It is right after school. How did you-”

_“Kagami_ will be there, won’t she?” Marinette’s eyes narrowed, and she seemed to _spit_ as she said the name of Adrien’s girlfriend.

“I mean, assuming she’s not sick…?” Adrien had no idea where Marinette was going with this.

And apparently Marinette wasn’t in the mood to share- she simply scowled, and redirected her attention back to the worksheet.

She didn’t ask for his help again.

__________

_“You’re the one!”_ Lady Meloidae had screeched while they fought, _“You’re the one that did this to me!”_

“Plagg, this is _bad!”_ Chat Noir’s transformation expired the moment he landed on the floor of his bedroom, releasing a panicked Adrien Agreste, “It’s Ladybug! She- She’s been akumatized! I was no match… it was-” Adrien gasped, nearly tripping, “My ankle! Oh god! There was no Miraculous cure- I’m still injured!”

“Stop.” Plagg held up a paw, almost lazily, as he rematerialized, “Take a deep breath, get me some cheese, and we’ll talk about it.”

Adrien only barely heard his companion, as he was still reeling from the battle with Ladybug- or rather, _Lady Meloidae._ She had fought _ruthlessly,_ using pieces of the broken helicopter to pierce him on more than one occasion. He could feel bruises on his cheek, neck, and back, while cuts from pieces of shrapnel lined his inner thigh. Part of his skin still stung from Lady Meloidae’s poison, and his ankle was only barely responding.

_“Adrien.”_ Plagg said sternly, not wanting to repeat himself.

“How can you be so calm!?” Adrien spluttered, but snatched some camembert off of his nightstand nonetheless, “Ladybug’s the only one that can handle an akuma! Without her-”

“Not true.” Plagg shook his head, accepting the dairy product calmly, “It won’t be easy, but you can handle the akuma- well, assuming that ends up being the right choice.”

“What do you mean-”  
  


“Let me finish!” Plagg interrupted, nibbling on his camembert instead swallowing whole as usual, “This isn’t going to be easy, Adrien, but Master Fu wouldn’t have picked you if-”

“Master Fu is _gone!”_ Adrien snapped, and Plagg gave him an unimpressed look.

The elderly Chinese man that had picked to become Chat Noir… he was gone. After the battle with Miracle Queen, Master Fu had sacrificed himself- or more accurately, his _memory-_ to save Ladybug and Chat Noir. And while Adrien hadn’t known the man well, he still mourned the loss of one of the only stable mentor figures in his life.

“Look…” Adrien said, collapsing onto his bed, “Plagg, I can’t do this- not _alone._ Ladybug has _all_ of the other Miraculous, and I’m not- I mean, I can’t-”

“You _can.”_ Plagg interrupted, floating right in front of his chosen’s face, “Adrien, you are a _far_ better Chat Noir- a far better _hero-_ than you give yourself credit for.”

“Am I?” Adrien shook his head, remembering numerous times that Chat Noir had been mind-controlled or otherwise incapacitated.

_“Yes.”_ Plagg insisted, “Do you really think that Ladybug would be as effective as she is without you at her side? _You_ are the one to give her space by distracting the enemy. _You_ are the one to pick her up when she doubts herself.”

“That’s not the same.” Adrien said miserably, “Plagg… even if I agreed with you, that still means that I’m only useful because I help Ladybug. Without her… I’m _nothing.”_

“If you’re nothing without Ladybug, then you shouldn’t have her!” Plagg snapped, “You’ve gotta stop selling yourself short, kid.”

Plagg did have a point, even if Adrien didn’t want to admit it. Whether he was a match for Lady Meloidae or not, doubting himself was only going to make it worse. He _had_ survived his battle with her today- it had taken his Cataclysm, and a bit of luck. He sincerely doubted that he could come out on top, but now was _not_ the time to panic about that.

There were other things to panic about…

“Plagg!” Adrien’s eyes widened in horror, “Hawkmoth… he _must_ know her identity now. And the Miracle Box-”

“Probably lost.” Plagg agreed grimmly, “Things won’t stop being complicated when you win, kid. Better to accept that now.”

He had no idea where Ladybug was now- or how she felt. Apparently she had abandoned the scene of the fight at the same time Chat Noir did, according to the Ladyblog, meaning… _what?_ Would Hawkmoth let her return to her civilian life for the time being? Would she be hiding, waiting for Chat to return? Would she continue pursuing Chloe, and anybody else that had upset her?

“How could I have let this happen?” Adrien whispered, tears suddenly brewing in his eyes, “Ladybug… she was akumatized…”

“Not your fault.” Plagg said, but looked uncomfortable, “Look- you had no way of knowing how close she was to breaking.”

“I should've figured it out.” Adrien argued, “And it _is_ my fault, Plagg. You heard what she said: I'm the one that hurt her. If it wasn't for what I said or did... she wouldn't have been akumatized." Adrien winced, tears now flowing freely, "What could I have done, Plagg? I still don't know... why is she? Why-"

“I don’t know what you could've done, kid.” Plagg sighed, shaking his head grimly, “I wish I did.”

__________

School ended at it's usual time, and Adrien- as promised- found himself at fencing practice instead of going out to track down his lady.

Fencing was no less difficult.

_“Faster.”_ Kagami demanded, as she made an aggressive play that forced Adrien into a defensive position.

Adrien managed to counter her onslaught, but was unable to stop himself from grimacing underneath his fencing helmet. His skin still stung from Lady Meloidae’s poison, and his ankle buckled from the intense footwork that the sparring demanded. He could feel a bit of blood trickling from several of his scrapes as well- likely opened as he stretched his muscles to contest Kagami’s offensive.

It was _disgusting,_ and covering it up wasn’t going to be easy.

“Footwork, Adrien!” Kagami sounded scandalized, as her boyfriend nearly tripped over himself. He swore silently- this ankle was going to be the death of him.

The two of them had started officially dating just about a week ago, but that certainly hadn’t earned him any favors when it came to fencing. Kagami was pushing him just as hard- if not _harder-_ during their sparring sessions. Apparently Kagami’s mother wouldn’t allow her daughter to see somebody that was incapable of holding their own with a saber.

“Get it together!” Kagami ordered, and Adrien struggled to deflect her sudden jab.

The match continued on for another minute, but it wasn’t much of a contest at this point- Adrien found himself roundly defeated by the young prodigy. Kagami was generally the better fencer between them as it was, but Adrien’s injuries made the battle a near-impossible task. To make matters worse, Kagami was clearly growing more and more frustrated with his incompetence as the fight dragged on.

“Sloppy, distracted, and uninspired.” Kagami shook her head, as their session came to a close.

“Not one to mince words, huh?”

“You haven’t fought this poorly since the first time I asked you out.” Kagami ignored his sarcasm, and looked him up and down as they reached the entrance to the locker room.

“Maybe you’re just getting better.” Adrien deflected, smirking slightly as he held the door for her.

“That is always the case.” Kagami said with a hint of pride, but quickly shifted back into interrogation mode, “But something is clearly bothering you nonetheless. I just can’t decide if it’s mental or physical.”

“Definitely both.” Adrien laughed dryly, amused by how easily his girlfriend could read him, “I, uh… got into a bit of a fight yesterday.”

Kagami arched an eyebrow, clearly not expecting this answer, _“You_ got into a fight with somebody?”

_If only you knew…_ Adrien held back a bitter laugh, and absently wondered what his girlfriend would think about his escapades as Chat Noir. Knowing her, she would probably start to drill him over his bad fencing even more.

“It was a… friend of mine.” Adrien said dismissively, praying that she let the subject drop, “An ongoing conflict, actually.”

“I see…” Kagami looked at his ankle, and he was surprised by the _worry_ in her eyes, “And this… ‘friend’ is the reason you’ve been favoring your right foot all afternoon?”

Adrien winced.

“It’s not your _father,_ is it?” Kagami asked, her voice _dripping_ with contempt. As the two of them had grown closer, Adrien had grown more open about his relationship with his father… or lack thereof. Kagami’s relationship with her mother was less than ideal, but at least the elder Tsurugi woman was _present._

True to form, Kagami had made no secret of her disdain for Gabriel Agreste’s conduct as a parent.

“Well, that’d be kind of hard for him to do.” Adrien laughed darkly, “Considering I haven’t seen him in the last three days.”

Kagami wasn’t amused, “Is this something I need to get involved in?”

“I’ll keep you posted.” Adrien teased again, but put a soft hand on her shoulder when the girl didn’t smile, “Hey… I’m handling it, Kagami. There’s a lot that I can’t tell you, but I _promise_ my father isn’t hurting me. He’s a lot of things… cold, unapproachable-”

“Generally reprehensible.”

“-but he would _never_ hurt me.” Adrien finished confidently, ignoring the interruption.

Kagami stared at him for a long moment, clearly unsure if she should keep pressing him or not. It was a strange feeling- his girlfriend was the most unapologetic person he knew, and seeing her hesitate at all felt almost illegal.

Their relationship was certainly an odd one- fitting for two people raised in odd circumstances. Having both been raised in somewhat stifling home environments (albeit for different reasons), neither one of them really knew how to handle a romantic partnership. Kagami freely admitted several days ago that she didn’t actually know how to proceed- having invested a lot more thought in convincing Adrien to give her a chance than what she would actually do once they were together.

She finally opened her mouth to speak-

Only to be cut off as the entrance to the locker room exploded into thousands of pieces.

A piece of shrapnel from the metal door flew, very nearly impaling one of the other fencing students, while a dark figure strode through the newfound opening. Dust and rubble flew, as part of the wall crumbled from the blow, forcing Adrien and Kagami to shield their eyes.

Lady Meloidae, in all her horror, marched into the locker room. Adrien could only stare, wondering _how_ she’d gotten here so quickly, and why he hadn’t gotten an emergency alert signalling her reappearance. His phone was _always_ on him, even during fencing practice, meaning that she must’ve just come out of hiding-

_“There you are.”_ Lady Meloidae said coldly, marching straight towards Adrien and Kagami. His eyes widened with panic- had his identity been outed? But he quickly realized that it wasn’t himself that Lady Meloidae was glaring at…

“Kagami…” Lady Meloidae seethed, sparks flying from her putrid orange eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Criticism / comments welcome as always.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get a LOT of action.

“Kagami…” Lady Meloidae seethed, sparks flying from her putrid orange eyes. She looked around the locker room, where the remaining fencers were all paralyzed, “All of you… _leave.”_

Adrien looked between the two most important girls in his life, frozen in place as the rest of the fencers scrambled to escape. Lady Meloidae wasn’t going to hurt Kagami… was she? The deathly look in the villain’s eyes suggested that Adrien’s girlfriend was in _mortal_ danger, and his gut reaction was to transform and protect her, consequences be damned.

But he couldn’t do that, _especially_ not now. Hawkmoth already knew Ladybug’s identity- he _couldn’t_ learn Chat Noir’s on top of that. Unfortunately, diplomacy was Adrien’s only option for the time being.

“What’s going on?” Adrien demanded, stepping in front of Kagami and blocking Lady Meloidae’s line of sight.

Her eyes bored straight into Adrien’s, “Step aside. _Now.”_

This was it. Adrien felt a pang of familiarity as he realized that this exact expression was levelled at Chat Noir yesterday. Their fight yesterday wasn't some weird dream- it was real, and Adrien was inevitably going to have to face her again.

“Stay away from her!” Adrien shouted, doing his best to channel Chat Noir’s confidence. Plagg twitched underneath his shirt, clearly telling him to _run._

“Adrien, you need to get out of here.” Kagami whispered, clearly not impressed by her boyfriend’s chivalrous display.

“I’m not leaving you alone with her!” Adrien snapped, but his voice was beginning to waiver.

Plagg, Kagami, and even Lady Meloidae were all Adrien telling him the same thing- and they were probably right. The smart move would be slipping away and transforming into Chat Noir as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there was nothing Adrien Agreste could do to stop Lady Meloidae- Chat Noir may only have an eleven percent chance of winning, according to Max, but it was better than _zero._

“I won’t ask you again, _hot stuff.”_ Lady Meloidae said, licking her lips as she spoke. She shot Kagami a challenging look as she said the pet name, as if she was _daring_ the girl to say something about it.

Adrien blinked.

_“Adrien.”_ Kagami hissed, “We don’t have a choice- do what she says, stall for time. Chat Noir will be here soon.” Plagg shifted inside his shirt again, signalling agreement.

Lady Meloidae scoffed at the mention of Chat Noir, but didn’t say anything.

Adrien hesitated. Lady Meloidae had been downright _ruthless_ yesterday, going the extra mile to hurt Chat Noir as much as possible- he had the injuries to prove it. When he first found her, she’d been in the process of attacking Chloe and her mother… would she have actually hurt them, or were the threats just for show?

Either way, Adrien didn’t feel comfortable leaving Lady Meloidae with his girlfriend, but it wasn’t like there was anything he could do as a civilian. Transforming now was still off the table.

_Why does she want Kagami, anyway?_

“I…” Adrien looked between Kagami and Lady Meloidae, before letting out a frustrated growl, _“Fine.”_ He focused on Lady Meloidae, “Don’t you _dare_ hurt her-”

“I’ll do as I please, sunshine.” Lady Meloidae taunted, and gestured to the exit, “Now _shoo._ Out you go. Bye-bye.”

Adrien spared Kagami one last look as he walked past the akumatized villain, straight for the door that she had destroyed upon entering the scene.

It was time for Chat Noir to make his entrance...

__________

“Alone at last.” Lady Meloidae said, sneering at the girl in front of her. She drew her yoyo and spun it like a shield- an action that Ladybug had performed many times.

Kagami was unfazed, “Chat Noir will be here soon.”

“And you _really_ think that will be enough to make a difference?” Lady Meloidae arched an eyebrow as she took a menacing step forward, “You must not have seen the footage from yesterday…”

Kagami remained silent. The two girls looked at each other- Lady Meloidae’s gaze was full of contempt, while Kagami maintained a poker face. It was as Lady Meloidae had noted: they were now the locker room’s sole occupants.

“You’re not even _slightly_ curious why I’m giving you special treatment?” Lady Meloidae pressed, and Kagami arched an eyebrow.

“I would assume that it’s related to my time as Ladybug’s ally.” Kagami said, and her voice sounded almost disinterested, “If I had to guess, I’d say that you’ve seen Chat Noir’s vague interest in me, and that this is some sort of jealous tantrum.”

Lady Meloidae’s eyes narrowed.

Just a few weeks ago, Kagami’s claim would’ve been a _ridiculous_ statement. For an entire _year,_ Chat Noir had pined after Ladybug, openly and unapologetically. And while there was some speculation that the two of them were secretly dating, that was mostly tabloid gossip. To anybody with eyes, it was obvious that Ladybug had little interest in her partner.

Until the battle with Miracle Queen.

In the weeks since Chloe’s third and final akumatization, the city had been quick to notice a complete _reversal_ in their dynamic. Gone were Chat Noir’s silly nicknames and shameless flirts- enter a blushing Ladybug that sometimes even stuttered in his presence. It was as if Chat Noir had simply moved on… when Ladybug finally wanted to give him a chance.

“Chat Noir doesn’t care about _you!”_ Lady Meloidae hissed, and Kagami simply shrugged.

She had only interacted with Chat Noir on a handful of occasions, but the leather-clad hero seemed to take a particular interest in Kagami. She had no idea if it was romantic, or an ill-conceived attempt to make Ladybug jealous, but _something_ had inspired Chat Noir to forsake the traditional team ‘pound it’ after Kagami was akumatized the second time.

He had also flirted with Ryoko during the fight with Heart Hunter, something that Ladybug had explicitly called out.

“I’m sure you would know better than me.” Kagami said indifferently, going so far as to openly shrug.

Lady Meloidae grit her teeth, but was able to restrain herself from killing Kagami where she stood. Anger continued to flare up inside of her: Kagami had stolen Adrien from Marinette… fully understanding that she would be hurt in the process. And now she had the **_gall_** to suggest that she had _Chat Noir_ wrapped around her finger too… 

Lady Meloidae very nearly lost her cool.

“Yeah, I _would_ know.” Lady Meloidae snarled, “I know everything there is to know about Ladybug- and her partner. You have no idea what you’re talking about, and if you don’t _shut up,_ you’re going to regret ever crossing me.” Kagami arched an eyebrow, _“What?_ You have something you wanna say?”

“Only that using your power to bully a civilian is… _dishonorable.”_ Kagami said dryly, “I am not Ryoko right now- and yet, you threaten me as though I am your equal. You are a _coward,_ Lady Meloidae, almost as much as your purple benefactor.”

Kagami tensed, waiting for the villain to lash out at the comment, but Lady Meloidae was undeterred. Rather than losing her cool, or striking Kagami down in cold blood, Lady Meloidae merely _grinned._ It was a toothy smile, far more malicious than anything Ladybug would’ve ever conjured- fitting for her successor.

“You know? I had a feeling you’d say that.” Lady Meloidae laughed, and Kagami’s eyes widened as Ladybug drew something from her belt.

“Is that-” Kagami started, but was unable to finish.

_“Yes…”_ Lady Meloidae cooed, stroking the box’s lid with a sneer, “Your Miraculous, _Ryoko._ ” Lady Meloidae tossed the box- almost lazily, and the usually graceful Kagami fumbled to catch it.

The Japanese girl was still at a loss for words as she recovered, her brows furrowed in a mixture of confusion and _deep_ suspicion. After all, giving Kagami the means to defend herself was a mistake... right?

A purple butterfly outline appeared over Lady Meloidae’s face, _“What are you_ **_doing,_ ** _Lady Meloidae!?”_ Hawkmoth sounded _pissed,_ to the surprise of nobody. Lady Meloidae simply chuckled in response, not in the mood to explain her motives. There was nothing Hawkmoth could do about it right now.

“Go on.” Lady Meloidae said to Kagami, gesturing at the miniature version of the Miracle Box, “I’m sure your kwami won’t bite.”

Kagami looked suspicious as she opened the box, but her fears were unfounded. The dragon kwami, _Longg,_ emerged as usual. Longg said nothing at first as she looked between Lady Meloidae and her holder, but there was a definite unease in the kwami’s eyes. Kagami wasted no time sliding the choker onto her neck, taking a deep breath as she faced Lady Meloidae.

“Kagami-san.” Longg said quietly, “I admire your courage, but my power pales in comparison to Tikki’s- _especially_ with an akuma boosting her. I don’t think-”

“Longg…” Kagami interrupted, not unlike the first time she transformed, _“Bring the storm!”_

Lady Meloidae clapped mockingly as Kagami became Ryoko- the wielder of the Dragon Miraculous. Small horns sprouted from the top of her head, and a red jumpsuit replaced her plain fencing gear. A crimson colored sword appeared in Ryoko’s hand (what else?), completing the girl’s transformation.

“It’s like you said.” Lady Meloidae explained, “Using my power against a civilian just wouldn’t be fair, would it? And I know how much you care about honest competition.”

Kagami had won her war with Marinette for Adrien’s heart. The only way to avenge her, in Lady Meloidae’s eyes, was to beat her for a different prize.

“I didn’t think you would care.” Ryoko said flatly, staring at her arms like she still couldn’t quite believe what Lady Meloidae had done.

She wasn’t alone.

**_“Fantastic_** _work, Lady Meloidae.”_ Hawkmoth said sarcastically, gritting his teeth as he spoke, _“I believe I allowed you to bring that Miraculous so that_ ** _you_** _could be the one to use it!?”_

“Easy.” Lady Meloidae soothed her benefactor, as she grabbed a fencing foil from the bench next to her. She pointed it at Kagami, swishing it back and forth tauntingly, “I promise I won’t let things get out of hand.”

“They already have.” Another voice remarked dryly from behind.

Lady Meloidae’s eyes widened, and she whirled around to see none other than _Chat Noir_ at the entrance to the locker room, green eyes filled with _steel._ His baton was already extended, and the feline hero was gripping it like a sword as he brandished it at his former partner.

__________

_“How!?”_ Lady Meloidae demanded, and her eyes narrowed, “There’s no way you had enough time to-”

But Lady Meloidae’s reasoning was interrupted by Ryoko _rushing_ forwards, slashing out Lady Meloidae with her scarlet-colored blade. Lady Meloidae scowled, swatting the attack to the side with her own sword- only for Chat Noir to pounce from the other side. Chat swung his baton at Lady Meloidae’s head, and she was only barely able to dodge.

“I don’t see the _honor_ in fighting two-on-one.” Lady Meloidae growled at Ryoko, as she backflipped on top of a row of lockers. The dragon heroine wasted no time leaping up after her, swinging her sword a second time.

The locker room was a claustrophobic space for a battle of this scale, and Lady Meloide needed distance to use her tools effectively. In a hand-to-hand fight, both Ryoko’s sword and Chat’s baton would _easily_ trump her yoyo and decidedly unmagical fencing foil. It would be wise to take the battle outside, if at all possible.

She silently cursed herself for _giving_ Chat Noir an ally.

“Maybe you should invite Hawkmoth, if it bothers you that much.” Chat Noir suggested, grunting as Lady Meloidae rolled off of the lockers, planting a kick right onto his face. He stumbled backwards, nearly tripping as he placed too much weight on his bad ankle. Lady Meloidae wasted no time in leaping after him to press her advantage.

_“Don’t tempt me.”_ Hawkmoth said, but of course neither of the heroes could hear him.

“Chat!” Ryoko called out, warning her newfound partner as Lady Meloidae unleashed a wave of liquid _poison-_ an orange liquid that seemed to come from her hands. Chat Noir’s eyes widened as he was only barely able to dodge- he remembered the stinging liquid from yesterday’s battle, and had no desire to relive the burns it had inflicted. 

Dodging the attack left Chat Noir in another awkward position, giving his opponent the perfect opportunity to tackle him straight through the hole she’d made in the locker room wall, sending them both into the school courtyard.

While most of the students had cleared out when Lady Meloidae first entered the locker room (not that many remained at this hour anyway), a few school administrators were still scrambling to escape. Chat Noir spared a nervous look as Mr. Damocles ran right past him, clearly worried about the safety of the civilians.

“Your little pet dragon isn’t going to make a difference.” Lady Meloidae waited for Chat Noir to rise to his feet, “You _know_ I’m strong enough for the both of you!”

Chat Noir could hear Max’s voice in his head, agreeing with Lady Meloidae, “Actually, I think _you_ were the one to pick Ryoko, m’lady?”

Lady Meloidae simply growled in response.

_“Wind Dragon!”_ Ryoko called out, and her body immediately shifted into a gust of wind. Lady Meloidae grunted as the magical windstorm blew straight into her torso, very nearly knocking her over. Ryoko rematerialized right in front of her, trying to capitalize on the opening.

“Getting _winded,_ bugaboo?” Chat Noir teased, but his heart wasn’t into the quip as he rushed in for another attack.

The battle raged on, a far more competitive contest than yesterday’s battle. Lady Meloidae still seemed to hold an advantage, with neither of her opponents managing to land a convincing hit, but this was far from a slam dunk. Lady Meloidae found herself growing more and more frustrated as Ryoko continued to evade her attacks- frustration leading to more and more sloppy mistakes on her part. Just seeing _Kagami_ of all people fight on Chat Noir’s side was enough to unbalance her… she’d already stolen Adrien, after all!

One thing that she _definitely_ had going for her, however, was the complete lack of coordination on Chat and Ryoko’s part.

“Sorry!” Chat exclaimed, as his baton glanced off of Ryoko’s face. The dragon heroine simply growled in response.

Lady Meloidae smirked. Chat Noir was going to have a hard time replacing Ladybug- neither one of them was a planner. Both Ryoko and Chat Noir were hot-headed, reckless, and too full of themselves to work effectively without Ladybug leading them.

“Playtime’s over.” Lady Meloidae grinned, slinging her yoyo at the distracted Chat Noir. He shifted to parry it with his baton, but he was too slow- the yoyo struck him directly in the skull, ricocheting over to smack Ryoko without missing a beat. Chat dropped his baton, clutching at his skull as he took a knee.

Lady Meloidae wasn’t finished- she rushed forwards, snatching the limp yoyo string out of the air and slinging it around Ryoko’s neck. Lady Meloidae immediately knelt, using her knee to push the string flat on the ground, causing Ryoko to gasp for breath as the string went taut.

_“Kagami!”_ Chat Noir’s eyes widened with fear as Ryoko collapsed, clutching at the yoyo string as she fell. Toppling over caused the rope to go limp, removing the immediate threat of strangulation, but Ryoko didn’t immediately move. There was an angry red line of irritated skin wrapping around her neck, where the string had been mere moments ago. 

Chat Noir’s heart was racing. Kagami could be seriously injured- he had seen Ladybug’s yoyo string tear through _far_ sturdier materials than a teenage girl’s neck, after all. Ryoko’s neck was visibly injured, and she still wasn’t moving. Perhaps even more dangerous- Lady Meloidae was still standing over Ryoko, facing away from Chat at the moment. He had no idea what she might do next…

Something _snapped_ in that moment. Chat Noir took a deep breath, suppressing the growing pain in his head from Lady Meloidae’s attack. He picked up his baton and rose to his feet, extending the weapon and pointing it straight at his former partner.

“You’ll regret that.” Chat Noir hissed, and took a threatening step towards Lady Meloidae.

Much to Chat’s surprise, Lady Meloidae hesitated. She looked between the fallen girl and her former partner with something near _horror,_ and Chat Noir could’ve sworn that her eyes flashed a familiar blue.

Lady Meloidae stared at the fallen Ryoko, before shifting her gaze right back to Chat Noir. The agner in his unnaturally green eyes- the _hate-_ it was startling. 

Even more startling was the realization that his hatred was probably justified. Kagami was injured right now… probably _seriously,_ and it was because of her. Kagami had certainly hurt Marinette, but Lady Meloidae’s response seemed more than a bit disproportionate. A pit grew in Lady Meloidae’s stomach as she stared at the red welt on the girl’s neck… from her own yoyo.

Lost in her own morbid thoughts, Lady Meloidae was unprepared for Chat Noir to _lunge,_ reaching a clawed hand straight for her earrings. This threw the spotted supervillain straight into panic mode, her movements shifting into autopilot _._ If there was one thing that Marinette, Ladybug, and Lady Meloidae all agreed upon, it was the importance of keeping those earrings safe. She was able to throw Chat off of her by lodging her feet into his stomach as she fell backwards, springboarding him into the wall behind her.

Chat Noir recovered quickly, swinging his baton at her skull- an attack that she was only barely able to duck under. Lady Meloidae tried to back up, and gain some to just _think,_ but Chat Noir wasn’t about to stand down.

Somehow, against all odds, the momentum of the fight had completely shifted: Chat Noir went from hesitant and sarcastic to relentless and cold. Lady Meloidae had been aggressive off of the starting line, but her own fear at Chat’s aggressive shift as well as the lingering shock at what she’d done to Kagami was enough to throw her off kilter.

“Just leave me alone!” Lady Meloidae demanded, as Chat Noir thwarted an attempt on her part to flee the scene.

“Not a chance.” Chat Noir snapped, and used his baton to sweep her feet out from under her.

Lady Meloidae unleashed another blast of poison, but the cat had no problem rolling to the side as he extended his staff into her gut. She cried out as the magical instrument threw her across the courtyard, but managed to roll and land on her feet. Chat Noir leapt to the school’s second floor, breaking his weapon into two smaller pieces and lobbing them both at Lady Meloidae as he ran across the upper walkway.

The first piece of the baton flew inches from her face- she was only barely able to slide out of the way- but the second hit its mark. Lady Meloidae winced as the magical weapon bounced off of her jaw, momentarily dazed as Chat Noir _pounced._

Both the hero and villain’s eyes widened. Lady Meloidae was flat on her back, yoyo out of her reach, while Chat Noir was on top of her. One of his clawed hands was held above her face, ready to either summon Cataclysm at a moment’s notice or swipe her earrings. Their eyes- feline green and putrid orange- were both stunned by his feat. Against all odds _(suck it, Max!)_ Lady Meloidae had been subdued by Chat Noir.

Their position was mildly suggestive, with both of Chat’s shins planted on either side of her thighs, and Lady Meloidae’s hands were above her head- not that Chat Noir would care about such things.

_Not anymore._ Lady Meloidae thought bitterly.

“Well?” Lady Meloidae whispered, her lip quivering _ever so slightly,_ “What now, kitty?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I enjoy writing fight scenes, although I understand that they're not for everybody. Still, I hope everybody liked the chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More fights, and a trippy dream sequence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Somewhat graphic description of injury, and a character gets fatally wounded (they don't die, even though I tease it a bit)

Marinette was going to throw up.

She could feel it building in her chest- a tight congestion that _desperately_ wanted to break free, but no matter hard she pushed it remained firmly in place. Something was holding it back. No matter how much her stomach _roared_ with pain, despite the way her breathing was being constricted, she just couldn’t get it out.

Marinette clutched at her bedroom’s sink, collapsing to her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Something felt wrong, beyond her sickness. She looked around her room weakly, unable to identify anything out of place, but her sense of _doom_ remained nonetheless. Marinette’s eyebrows scrunched, as she realized that she couldn’t decide whether she’d just arrived in this bedroom or if she’d been here for hours.

“Marinette…” A high-pitched voice whispered, one that the girl immediately recognized.

“Tikki?” Marinette whispered back, and blinked as she realized that she was sitting on her balcony now, looking out at the city.

“Marinette…” Tikki repeated, and Marinette spotted the kwami perched on the balcony’s railing. She sounded weak, and her antennae were drooping as she struggled to keep her eyes opened. It was like the time she’d gotten sick, except _far_ worse.

“Oh my god! Tikki, what’s wrong!?” Marinette reached out to grab her, but the kwami was out of her reach.

_That’s odd._ For whatever reason, Marinette couldn’t seem to get out of her chair.

“A _lot_ of things are wrong right now…” Tikki said softly, “But there’s still hope- I’m with you, meaning that Hawkmoth hasn’t taken your earrings yet.”

_Hawkmoth._ The name rang familiar.

“My earrings…” Marinette fingered the studs softly, cradling them in her palm, “Yeah, they’re still here, aren’t they?”

“But not the Miracle Box.” Tikki said, pointing at an empty drawer in Marinette’s desk. Marinette frowned- what were they doing back inside her room?  
  


_Wasn’t I about to throw up a moment ago?_

All of sudden, Marinette was doubled over in front of the sink again. She gulped, overwhelmed by the _bile_ brewing in her stomach. Marinette took a deep breath, desperately trying to force it out, but it was to no effect. She coughed, collapsing all the way down to her hands as she gasped for breath. Something was wrong… 

Marinette was rocking back and forth. She wasn’t in her bedroom anymore- not even on the balcony. She was still under the moonlight- trapped in some sort of a memory? She looked around anxiously, startled to realize that she was sitting back in a chair on the deck of the Couffaine family boat- a certain boy with blue hair was standing in front of her, his expression somewhere in between fatigue and frustration. 

It wasn’t a good look for Luka- somebody that Marinette had _always_ known to be both patient and calm.

“Why not?” Luka demanded, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, “Marinette… you’ve been telling me you ‘need time’ for almost a _month_ now.”

“Because I do!” Marinette insisted, shifting nervously, “You’re a great guy, really! You’ve been so patient with me throughout all of this. And I know that I’m probably frustrating you, but I like being around you so much…” He looked unconvinced, so she continued, “Look, Luka, I just need a bit more-”

“-time. Yeah, I got it.” Luka finished, and pinched the bridge of his nose as he leaned against the boat’s railing. Marinette was about to speak up, when Luka looked back at her, “You said you _like_ being around me- but you don’t _love_ it, do you?” One might’ve expected the statement to come out in a malicious or prodding way, but Luka’s voice was surprisingly soft now, as though he was asking himself the question as much as he was asking Marinette.

The words stung- both because they were harsher than anything Luka would usually say, and because Marinette had no real rebuttal.

_I don’t love you._ Marinette cringed internally as the thought crossed her mind, but that didn’t change reality: Marinette Dupain-Cheng didn’t love Luka Couffaine, at least not in the way he loved her. He was a very dear friend to her, somebody that had her back when nobody else did, and one of the most genuinely understanding people she had even met.

As usual, Luka had shown a lot more elegance with his words than she ever could- in some ways, he understood Marinette better than she understood herself.

“Luka, I…” Marinette tried to conjure the right words, but they died in her throat.

Luka smiled softly, “It’s okay. Your heart and mine… they aren’t singing the same song.” He chuckled, and withdrew his guitar from where it had been resting on the deck, “For what it’s worth, I really did love spending all of this time with you.” He bowed his head as he began to pluck out a few notes- a very soft and slow melody that simultaneously conveyed sadness and gratitude.

“Luka-” Marinette reached out, but blinked when the blue-haired boy stopped moving. His eyes were locked in one direction now, and his fingers ceased to produce music any longer- he wasn’t in shock, or giving any indication that something was wrong medically…

He was just… stuck.

“Didn’t think I’d find you _here_ of all places.” Marinette whirled around when a feminine voice came from behind, and was faced by a figure clad in black.

It was a girl- no older than Marinette herself. Considering that she was still standing on the deck of the Couffaine family boat, Marinette’s gut reflex was to assume that this was Juleka, but this girl both looked and sounded different from her shy friend. This girl’s putrid orange eyes were filled with a mixture of annoyance and sympathy, her hair was jet black, and wore a skin-tight black suit the same tone as her hair- with orange spots to match her eyes. The girl looked _familiar,_ and the costume reminded her of something, but Marinette was unable to place exactly where… 

Marinette’s jaw dropped, “L-Ladybug?

“Guess again.” The girl shook her head, smiling smugly, and helped herself to the seat next to Marinette’s, “Feeling okay?”

“I’m…” Marinette blinked, still confused, “...fine, I guess? What are you-”

“Ah, ah, ah.” The girl wagged her finger, chuckling softly, “Humor me, please. I take it you just watched Luka friendzone himself again?” The girl in black pointed at the blue-haired boy- still frozen in time. She sighed softly, reaching out to rest a soft hand on Luka’s arm, “He really is a sweetheart, you know? If only you could’ve loved him…”

She sounded almost wistful, and Marinette could only stare dumbly.

“Not that it matters.” The girl shrugged, reverting to indifference, “It makes no difference to me, ultimately. Whether you chose the blueberry, Mr. Sunshine, or the furry isn’t my problem. Not really.” She looked at Marinette, her voice getting a bit colder, “Things fell apart with all of them in one way or another… and it’s my job to clean up your mess.”

Something was wrong. _Extremely_ wrong. Marinette felt a splitting headache out of nowhere, and once again felt as though she was on the verge of vomiting. This girl… she looked like Ladybug- like _Marinette._ That wasn’t normal, was it? Marinette felt something else… there was another presence nearby. An _evil_ one.

Why was she on this boat? Wasn’t she in her bedroom just a moment ago? Shouldn’t she be-

“Calm down.” The girl interrupted her thoughts, staring at Marinette ruefully, “You are getting _way_ too wrapped up in all of this, you know? Your part is over. Just leave it all up to me.”

“Who. Are. You.” Mariette demanded, scowling as she swallowed the splitting pain in her forehead, “And don’t you _dare_ just ignore me this time!”

The girl tilted her head, as though genuinely considering it, “...nah.” She scowled, looking out at the river with something near _annoyance,_ “I’ve got more important things to do- your cat is making things harder than he needs to.” 

She shot Marinette one last cryptic look, “Besides- listening to you is the reason I’m in this mess right now anyways.”

“Wait!” Marinette exclaimed, leaping out of the chair as the newcomer rose back to her feet, “What are you- _ah!”_

Marinette stumbled, the entire deck vanishing beneath her as she fell into oblivion. Gasping for air, Marinette looked up- the girl’s harsh orange eyes were staring back at her. The girl waved once, grinning smugly as everything faded to black.

__________

“Well?” Lady Meloidae asked, sounding almost nervous, “What now, kitty?”

Chat Noir struggled to catch his breath. Had he really just done that? In one swift move, he’d managed to tackle Lady Meloidae- completely immobilizing her underneath him. Seeing Kagami injured like that… seeing that Hawkmoth had corrupted his partner _that much…_ it had been enough to throw him into a feral rage- enough to overwhelm his opponent, Max’s statistics be damned.

_Not yet though._ Knowing Ladybug, she probably had some other trick up her sleeve.

“Just give me your akuma.” Chat Noir whispered quietly, and Lady Meloidae arched an eyebrow.

“I thought you’d be enjoying this just a little bit more…” She teased, and Chat rolled his eyes in disgust. 

She started to move her wrists, but Chat Noir reacted quickly- he clamped her wrists down to the floor of the courtyard with his own hands, while the rest of her body was trapped under his own. She could secrete poison from her hands, meaning that Chat needed to make _certain_ that she couldn’t use them.

“Where is it?” He demanded, looking her up and down. The earrings were probably the most likely choice- but Chat Noir couldn’t destroy those, could he? Her yoyo was a distinct possibility, as well as that strange utility belt she was wearing. Chat supposed that it could even be contained inside of her mask.

“Not telling.” Lady Meloidae giggled, and her previous nerves were completely gone now. Either that or she was doing a _fantastic_ job hiding them- unlike Chat Noir.

She batted her eyelashes as Chat Noir continued to search for the akuma, “See something you like, kitty-cat?”  
  


Despite the situation, Chat Noir still blushed like a schoolgirl. He tried to bury it, but Ladybug Meloidae _immediately_ recognized the opening.

“Ohhhh.” Lady Meloidae’s eyes shifted into an expression straight from one of Adrien’s most private fantasies about his beautiful partner, “I think you like this a _lot,_ don’t you?” She eyed Chat Noir’s body curiously, “You know, she’d never admit it, but Ladybug always did like you- well…” She licked her lips, “At least _physically._ And I’m beginning to see why…”

Chat Noir took a deep breath, “Well, as flattered as I am to hear that a supervillain finds me attractive-” _Understatement._ “-I’m still going to need that akuma.”

“You’re no fun.” Lady Meloidae pouted, struggling weakly against his grasp as her eyes suddenly narrowed, “What? Don’t tell me you’re holding out for whatever fangirl you’re with now!” Literal sparks flashed out of her eyes, and while Chat Noir’s gut reflex was to be offended… there was something far more concerning that caught his attention. 

“How do you know-” Chat Noir frowned in confusion- he hadn’t told Ladybug that he was seeing somebody, had he? So how did Lady Meloidae know about it!? His eyes widened in panic- was _this_ why Kagami was being targeted? But if that was the case, Lady Meloidae and Hawkmoth would have to know his identity, wouldn’t they!?

In fact, there was only one other person that knew about Chat Noir's girlfriend-

“Awww.” Lady Meloidae grinned smugly, and nodded to something behind Chat Noir, “Seems like you’ve squandered your advantage, _hero.”_

He snapped his head to look back reflexively. Something small was floating through the air- and Chat Noir’s enhanced vision immediately recognized it to be a _feather._

“No!” Chat Noir gasped, and Lady Meloidae wasn’t one to waste his moment of distraction.

She pulled her knees forwards in one motion, lodging her feet into Chat Noir’s sternum and kicking out in one fluid motion. Chat grunted in pain as he rolled backwards onto his bad ankle, but that was _far_ from his main concern; Ladybug Meloidae reached out to the amok gleefully, and he was powerless to stop the corrupted feather from entering her yoyo.

A symbol Chat Noir didn’t recognize appeared over her eyes, _“Yes, Mayura.”_

“Stop!” Chat Noir cried out desperately, but it was too late.

A massive cloud of dark energy flew out of Lady Meloidae’s yoyo- not unlike the energy seen when people were un-akumatized. Chat Noir could only watch in horror as the mass of energy expanded to something _far_ greater than Lady Meloidae’s body mass. The fog cleared, leaving behind a sentimonster that was nearly as tall as the school courtyard- and considerably more terrifying.

The sentimonster looked like a bug of some kind- and it was colored in the same pattern as Lady Meloidae. Chat Noir could feel the hair stand up on the back of his neck as he saw its six insectoid legs begin to twitch excitedly- just like the orange tipped antennae mounted on either side of the bug’s black skull. The creature’s eyes were completely dark as well, but its head tilted curiously as it studied Chat Noir, causing genuine _horror_ to course through his body.

“Alright, kitty…” Lady Meloidae rolled to her feet, “If you’ll excuse me- I think _Blister Beetle_ has some business with you.” She slung her yoyo to the building’s second floor, clearly planning to take this as an opportunity to escape.

“Where do you think you’re-” Chat Noir called out, but was interrupted when the sentimonster _twitched._ Blister Beetle’s mouth opened, revealing a sizzling orange liquid inside that seemed to be bubbling over-

“Look out!” A set of strong hands wrapped around Chat’s torso, yanking him to the side just as a wave of orange poison erupted from Blister Beetle’s mouth. Ryoko grunted, as she was only _barely_ able to save the both of them from getting doused.

“Get up.” Ryoko commanded, offering her hand to Chat Noir, but he could only stare at the ground where the poison had landed.

The foul liquid splashed onto the courtyard’s concrete floor where Chat Noir had been standing only moments ago, causing the floor to _immediately_ start dissolving . Chat Noir’s eyes widened in horror- Lady Meloidae had a poison of her own, but the substance produced by Blister Beetle appeared to be _much_ stronger.

“I said _get up!”_ Ryoko grunted, still breathing unevenly from her own injuries as she forced Chat Noir back to his feet.

Blister Beetle roared, stabbing one of its front appendages straight for the cat and dragon heroes. They both leapt to the school’s second floor, as the beetle’s leg tore straight through one of the staircases. The entire walkway buckled under the loss of support, and Chat Noir almost lost his footing.

“Ryoko…” Chat Noir managed, finally recovering from his shock, but the girl paid him no mind as she rushed back into the fight. He looked around frantically, worried that Lady Meloidae was just waiting for the right opportunity to attack, but it seemed as though the akuma’s retreat was actually genuine.

Ryoko attacked viciously, swinging her sword and managing to sever one of Blister Beetle’s appendages in one swift strike. The sentimonster hissed in pain, teetering backwards as it started to lose its balance. Chat Noir took a deep breath, _“Cataclysm!”_ He called out, and leapt down from the upper walkway to plant his paw straight onto the sentimonster’s back.

Blister Beetle cried out in even greater agony- the power of cataclysm coursed through it, creating dark cracks all throughout its body as it came dangerously close to tipping over. Chat Noir rolled, eyes widening in panic as more of the acidic orange fluid erupted from all of the holes in the sentimonster’s back, very nearly hitting him as he attempted to escape.

He was wrong to assume that he was in the clear once he was off, however. Blister Beetle swung wildly with one of its remaining legs, slapping Chat Noir out of the air and pinning him against the floor in a violent _crash_ that shook his bones. Chat Noir cried out in pain, struggling against the sentimonster, but Blister Beetle’s pitch black eyes carried no mercy.

“Chat Noir!” Ryoko cried out desperately, and Chat looked over to see gears spinning as she studied the scenario.

“Kagami…” He called out weakly, but she ignored him.

“Lightning Dragon!” Ryoko yelled, and her red sword began to crackle with electricity as she leapt- landing on the creature’s back and stabbing her blade straight into one of the cracks that Chat Noir’s cataclysm had created.

Chat Noir’s eyes widened in fear as an even larger wave of the poison erupted, Kagami unable to stop herself from taking the brunt of the blast. She stumbled backwards, and her entire body went limp as she let go of her sword, toppling over as the power of her attack took effect.

The beetle wailed in pain, its body convulsing wildly as the electricity coursed throughout its body- until the sentimonster finally stopped moving. Blister Beetle collapsed, its remaining legs giving out as it tipped over, launching Kagami straight towards her boyfriend’s position. Chat Noir could only watch as she slammed into the ground several feet from him.

“Kagami!” Adrien screamed, scrambling to move as the sentimonster’s appendage finally moved from his sternum.

He barely noticed the pain of his own injuries, however, as he frantically grabbed at his girlfriend- still unmoving as he flipped body over. Adrien began to panic even further when he saw that nearly all of the admittedly limited skin exposed by Ryoko’s skin was red and _irritated._ Adrien’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he realized that a large portion of her hair was burnt off as well, and her eyes were sealed shut.

“No, no, no…” Chat Noir began to shake her, tears brewing in his eyes “Kagami! Please… you’ve gotta get up!”

_My fault._ Chat Noir found himself openly weeping as Kagami didn’t respond. She was still breathing, but her gasps were more and more labored with each passing second. Chat’s panic grew even further as he realized that there was a very real chance that Ryoko had _inhaled_ some of the poison. He needed to get her to a hospital as soon as he-

“A-Adrien?” Ryoko whispered, reaching out and clutching at his face as he cradled her.

“I’m here!” He exclaimed, hope exploding within him as she stirred, “Kagami, I’m gonna get you out of here. You need a hospital-”

He was interrupted when Ryoko’s transformation gave out, leaving behind an injured Kagami Tsurugi and a tired looking red kwami. She hadn’t used all of her powers, but apparently sustaining too much damage like that was enough to end the transformation prematurely. Fortunately, her body and clothes underneath the suit seemed to be undamaged.

“My eyes.” Kagami whispered, and Adrien was startled to realize that her brown orbs were lacking most of their color when she finally opened them, “I… I can’t see anything. Adrien- I can’t see!” She began to struggle wildly, something that would’ve been a huge problem if he wasn’t transformed right now.

“Calm down.” Chat Noir commanded, scooping up his baton as he rose to his feet- carrying both of them was a struggle, but he could do it, “We’re going to the hospital now! You’re going to be okay if you can just-”  
  


“...where…” She rasped, and her grip on his face slackened, “Chat Noir… I need to find him. Is he- is he?” Kagami gasped for air, “My Miraculous… I have to- I have to give it to him- Adrien, I need you to give it to him! Give it to him before I-” Her voice was lost in a fit of coughing.

Chat Noir stared dumbly for a moment, utterly confused, until he realized that Kagami had been addressing him by his civilian name.

“Chat Noir is fine.” He whispered quietly, “Now let’s go. You’re gonna be okay- and as for the Miraculous? I’ll make sure it’s taken care of.”

Chat Noir leapt up, using his baton to launch them to what remained of the school’s roof. He broke into a sprint, ignoring his pain as he vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, moving as frantically as he could in the direction of the nearest hospital. In truth, he had no idea if they were going to make it in time, or if there was anything they could do-

_No!_ Now was not the time for thoughts like that.

“There’s something you should know…” Kagami managed, as the coughing finally subsided. She didn’t seem to notice that they were currently flying through the air.

“You can tell me later, Kagami.” Chat Noir promised, “We’re getting you to safety, first.”

“I don’t think that’s gonna happen.” Kagami whispered, and Chat was startled to hear _fear_ in her voice, “I still can’t see anything… but it’s something you should know anyways.”

“Kagami-”  
  


“No, please…” Kagami said desperately, “Adrien… I don’t know any other way to tell you this, but I-” She coughed again, cutting herself off for a moment, “-I’m breaking up with you.”

Chat Noir nearly tripped as he landed on the next rooftop, startling a small flock of pigeons that were taking a nap at the edge, “You… you _what!?”_ He stared at her in disbelief, a fresh wave of nonphysical _hurt_ spreading through his system, “Kagami… what are you saying?”

“There’s no easy way to say this.” Kagami swallowed, unable to make eye contact while blinded by clearly trying nonetheless, “Adrien… I like you a lot. I really do.”

“Then why are you doing this!?”

“Because I don’t love you.” Kagami said remorsefully, and Adrien saw tears brewing in her eyes as well as his own, “At least… not like that. You are my first friend- a role model to me in so many ways… but I confused that attachment to you for something romantic.” Kagami shook her head sadly, “I said it a while ago: I was so focused on ‘winning’ you. I approached my time with you like it was a competition with your other admirers- it was poor form, and I’m sorry.”

Chat Noir was silent for a long moment, as they reached the final building before the hospital. The medical building was already busy, unfortunately. Lady Meloidae’s attack yesterday had left more than a few people injured- including Rose. As selfish as it was, Adrien was hoping that his status as Chat Noir would be enough to secure Kagami immediate care.

But all of that was running on autopilot right now- his girlfriend was dumping him.

“I thought you said you’d be there…” Adrien whispered, “When I finally realized that I needed to change targets, you said-”

“I know.” Kagami said quietly, “And I am here, Adrien.” Despite her current blindness, Kagami managed to cup Chat Noir’s cheek, “You mean _so much_ to me, Adrien. More than you’ll ever know.” She coughed again, “But it wouldn’t be fair to either of us if I make this relationship continue. Especially since-” Her eyes filled with tears again, “-since this might be the last time we-”  
  


“Don’t you _dare_ finish that sentence!” Chat Noir commanded, as they reached the emergency room. He took the Miraculous off of her neck- a small choker, “Kagami, you’re gonna be okay… I need you to be- _Chat Noir_ is going to need you!”

Kagami’s lip turned up, the beginnings of a smile, but it quickly died as the Japanese girl slipped into the world of unconsciousness.

__________

“Marinette!” Tikki’s voice again stirred her again, “Marinette, where are-”

“Tikki!” Marinette called out, and she was startled to realize that she was once again inside her own bedroom.

“You’ve forgotten, haven’t you?” Tikki asked, sadness evident in her voice, “You did such a good job earlier, Marinette. You convinced Lady Meloidae to give Kagami her Miraculous- and now Chat Noir isn’t on his own anymore.” Marinette looked around desperately, but the room was now completely dark. She couldn’t see the kwami- or anything else.

_Chat Noir…_ Marinette wondered what he was up to right now. She also wondered what Kagami had to do with anything, and who the hell Lady Meloidae was, but that all seemed a bit secondary for some reason.

Marinette was standing on her balcony now, while a dark figure with blond hair perched on the balcony railing. It was nighttime, and he was looking away- she couldn’t see his face, but Marinette could sense the _sadness_ in his posture. It was Chat Noir, and it looked like Marinette was trapped in another memory- much like with Luka earlier.

“Marinette.” Tikki’s voice called to her again, “I need you to _focus._ You were able to overwhelm the akuma once, and you _can_ do it again. If we work together, we _will_ shatter Hawkmoth’s hold over-”

“I can’t.” Chat Noir said tiredly, and Tikki’s voice was immediately snuffed out as he turned to face Marinette- his unnatural green eyes filled with a deep _regret._

“Wait…” Marinette’s spoke, but she was no longer controlling her own tongue, “What do you mean you _can’t?_ You’ve wanted to be with her since-”

“-since the day I met her.” Chat finished, and fixed her with a wry smile, “But what can I say? I’ve waited long enough- she’s not interested in me. She’s turned me down twice respectfully, the least I can do is move on now.”

“It can’t hurt to try one last time though…” Marinette’s heart was already breaking though, “Chat- I’m sure that Ladybug feels at least _something_ for you!"

All of Paris could tell! As humiliating as it was, Ladybug's newfound interest in her kitty was becoming the topic of regular gossip- to the point that even Alya's Ladyblog ran a story on the theory. Chat Noir, however, despite presenting himself as something of a ladies' man, couldn't seem to figure it out-

“I’m sure she doesn’t.” Chat Noir laughed ruefully, “Marinette, I confessed to her _twice._ It was out of line for me to do it again, and I didn’t take it well either time. I know that you mean well, and I’m touched that you’re so invested in my love life-” He smiled warmly at her, “-but it’s just not going to work out. It’s just… it’s just not meant to be, I guess. Ladybug is still my best friend, and I guess that’s all she’ll ever be.”

Marinette could feel tears brewing in her eyes. After all of this time… after seeing Adrien start dating Kagami, and ruining things with Luka… this was how it ended? After all this time she _finally_ decided that she wanted to give Chat Noir a chance, and confront her own repressed feelings, and he chooses _now_ to move on!?

It just wasn’t _fair._

“And what if she came to you?” Marinette demanded, and Chat Noir fortunately didn’t seem to notice her escalation in tone, “What if the gossip is right... and Ladybug confesses that she has feelings for _you?"_

Chat Noir shook his head, “That won’t happen. I’m sure of it.”

  
“But what if it does?”

“If Ladybug confesses feelings for me…” Chat Noir shook his head again, sighing aloud. His tail twitched in agitation as he spoke, “I don’t know what I’d do, Marinette. Probably let her know that it’s too late, if I’m being honest.” He winced, “It’d hurt like hell- she’s my first love, and I’ll always harbor at least something in my heart for her, but I have a girlfriend now-” Chat Noir’s eyes widened- apparently he hadn’t meant to say that, “Uh- forget I said that! I shouldn’t have told you anything about my personal life, and Ladybug said…”

He continued on, but Marinette didn’t hear him anymore. A fresh wave of _hurt_ came across her in a way that was almost physical. _I have a girlfriend now._ It was a five word sentence that contained so much information that Marinette wished more than anything wasn’t true- but it was too late. He’d let it slip, and Ladybug’s last hope at finding love had been shattered.

Chat Noir ended up leaving a few minutes later, when Marinette slipped out with the lame excuse of “needing some rest” even though it was a weekend.

This was too much.

As soon as Marinette had lowered herself into her bedroom, she began her rampage- photographs of Adrien’s were torn to shreds, several of her recent art projects were thrown out the window in a fit of absolute _rage._

_“I know, I’m not good with jokes.”_ Adrien’s voice rang in her ears, _“The girl I’m in love with doesn’t like them either…”_

Marinette’s stuffed cat found itself getting decisively _unstuffed_ when Marinette took a pair of scissors to it.

_“Your heart and mine… they aren’t singing the same song.”_ Luka explained quietly.

A gift that Marinette had prepared for Adrien- a small pair of green gloves- was torn in half.

_“I’ll always harbor at least something in my heart for her, but I have a girlfriend now.”_ Chat Noir hadn’t meant to let that slip, but it might’ve hurt more than _any_ of them.

Marinette cried out in pain as she stubbed her toe- a foolish oversight as she tried to kick a box of Adrien magazines in the corner.

But the pain granted a moment of clarity. Marinette found herself swelling as she doubted Chat Noir's words- he wouldn't seriously reject Ladybug, would he? Surely this was nothing more than denial- a misplaced loyalty to whatever fangirl had distracted him from his _real_ target. Or maybe he was just sparing Marinette's feelings, or maybe it was all just an elaborate joke- he liked jokes, right?

"Marinette..." Tikki's voice was nervous, but Marinette was in no mood for a lecture.

"Spots on..." Marinette whispered, gritting her teeth as she transformed into Ladybug. Chat Noir was still nearby... probably a few blocks away at most. There was still time to track him down.

If only she had noticed the small black butterfly entering through her window...

_“Lady Meloidae, I am Hawkmoth…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit of a mess, and I might've accidentally contradicted some of the earlier stuff, but that's what happens when I don't use an outline :/
> 
> Also: This is what a blister beetle looks like!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's angst time, everybody.

_ “Dude!” _ Adrien was greeted by Nino’s panicked voice when he answered his phone,  _ “I-I just saw what happened at the school, and I realized that your fencing practice was… I just- where are you, dude? We’ve all been worried sick-” _

“I’m fine.” Adrien managed, his voice catching a bit at his friend’s concern, “I’m just… I’m at the hospital the right now-”

_ “The hospital!?” _

“-for Kagami.” Adrien finished, closing his eyes to hold back the brewing tears, “Nino… she’s alive, but I haven’t been allowed to see her yet- I’m not sure what-”

_ “Holy shit! Just hold on for me, bro.”  _ Nino said, and there was some rustling on his end,  _ “I’ll be there soon- probably Alya too. Just wait for me, okay?” _

“Okay.” Adrien whispered quietly, as the line went dead.

__________

_ Guilt. _

The feeling was like a giant dumbbell on her shoulders as she swung from building to building, desperate to get back to a safer position. Images were floating through her mind- Kagami collapsing as a yoyo wrapped around her neck, Chat Noir’s eyes filling with hatred at the fight raged on. Going back even further, Lady Meloidae recalled the fear in Chloe’s eyes as she wrecked her helicopter, likely killing even more innocent people.

_ Marinette would never want this. _

Lady Meloidae cursed herself- she didn’t have time for more apprehension! It was like Hawkmoth said- Chat Noir was the one making this difficult… the ensuing chaos was  _ his _ fault, not hers. If Chat would just cooperate, and hand over his Miraculous, none of this would have to happen. Nobody else would need to get hurt! He would pay his price for hurting Marinette, and then he could move on.

But she felt guilty nonetheless as she swung towards the Dupain-Cheng bakery. 

“Tikki… spots off.” Lady Meloidae murmured as she landed inside the trapdoor.

This was a largely symbolic gesture. No kwami emerged from Lady Meloidae’s earrings as her appearance reverted to something resembling Marinette Dupain-Cheng, albeit with darker hair and a much more  _ sickly  _ complexion. Marinette had been transformed when the akuma struck, meaning that the corrupted butterfly and the kwami were both somewhere inside of her unconscious.

Lady Meloidae stared into the mirror above Marinette’s sink, rebellious turmoil building inside of her yet again as she gazed upon her reflection. Lady Meloidae sneered, realizing that this was probably Tikki’s influence- or perhaps Marinette’s…

_ Where would she be without me? _ Lady Meloidae chuckled darkly to herself. 

Marinette really didn’t know what was good for her, did she? It was a shame, really- the girl had a good heart and a loving family. But underneath that? Marinette was  _ weak. _ She didn’t understand that as ugly as Lady Meloidae’s actions might look, they were for her own benefit.

Adrien Agreste, Luka Couffaine, and Chat Noir  _ all _ had their chance to be with her, but had instead opted to stomp on her heart in one way or another. Chloe and Lila had been nothing short of abusive. All of it was unforgivable, and Lady Meloidae fully intended to make sure that each and every one of them paid the price for their transgressions as Kagami had, in one way or another.

“Lady Meloidae.” The girl was unsurprised to see a dark figure in the mirror, standing right behind her as she sorted through her emotions.

_ “...Mayura.” _ Lady Meloidae spat, turning around the face the Peacock villain with a vicious glare, “What do  _ you _ want?”

_“The same thing I want.”_ Hawkmoth’s voice spoke directly into her mind, and Lady Meloidae flinched, **_“Why_** _did you give Kagami Tsurugi a Miraculous?”_

“The Dragon Miraculous was for  _ you _ to fuse with your own.” Mayura said, agreeing with Hawkmoth even though she hadn’t heard his voice. They worked together seamlessly- a partnership almost as effective as Ladybug and Chat Noir’s had been.

“How long have you been here?” Lady Meloidae deflected, “I should hope you haven’t been harassing Marinette’s parents. They seem like rather nice people…”

“Nobody else knows I’m here.” Mayura said flatly, “Now answer the question.”

In truth, Lady Meloidae had no idea why she’d given Kagami a Miraculous. It had seemed like a good idea at the time- giving one of Marinette’s greatest rivals a fighting chance as Lady Meloidae curb stomped her- but now that she had time to  _ really _ think about it… the logic she’d used was more than a bit baffling. Giving Chat Noir an ally for free was a terrible idea, no matter how satisfying it might be to defeat Kagami fairly.

“None of your business.” Lady Meloidae shook her head, “Besides… she should be out of the picture anyways, right?”

Despite her guilt, Lady Meloidae still took  _ some _ satisfaction in achieving her goal- even with Chat Noir trying to interfere.

_ “Chat Noir still has her Miraculous.”  _ Hawkmoth growled in her ear,  _ “He could give it to somebody else, or just fuse it with his own. Your ineptitude has complicated what should’ve been an easy victory.” _

“It’ll still be an easy victory.” Lady Meloidae grit her teeth, “Ladybug’s old partner might be a bit more slippery than I thought, but he’s still no match for me. I’ll beat him-  _ soon. _ And then he’ll answer for everything he’s done.”

“Funny.” Mayura said, but her voice showed absolutely no signs of amusement, “As I recall, my amok was the only reason you weren’t defeated.”

“He got  _ lucky.” _

_“The wielder of the Black Cat Miraculous was_ ** _lucky?”_** Hawkmoth echoed, snorting in disbelief, _“I don’t have time for such excuses, Lady Meloidae.”_ He paused, letting his words sink in, _“Need I remind you that I know_ ** _everything_** _you know? Everything you feel… I feel it too. You lost your poise, and Chat Noir got the better of you. There was no_ ** _luck_** _involved.”_

Lady Meloidae saw red-  _ how dare he? _ She’d been fighting an uphill battle against two superheroes, thoroughly defeating one of them, and Hawkmoth was still mad at her. How was she supposed to know that Chat Noir would show up as quickly as he did?

“The score is still 1-1.” Lady Meloidae grit her teeth, “And besides… I think we’re closer than ever to learning his identity.”

She could sense the surprise emanating off of Hawkmoth, and even the stoic Mayura arched an intrigued eyebrow. Lady Meloidae allowed herself a smile- her benefactors’ motives were simple, and they’d failed enough times to appreciate  _ any _ progress, no matter how small.

“You saw how quickly Chat Noir arrived on the scene.” Lady Meloidae explained, “He had no way of knowing I’d be there ahead of time…” She gave Mayura a pointed look.

“...meaning he must’ve been in the area.” Mayura finished, tilting her head curiously at the suggestion, “He may even be a student at Francois Dupont.”

_ “Just like Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” _ Hawkmoth mused,  _ “And considering that you don’t know his identity, that would be  _ **_quite_ ** _ the coincidence.” _

In many ways, Chat Noir being a student at Francois Dupont made his transgressions even worse- that made it possible that he knew Marinette in his civilian life. The chances were strong that he knew  _ of  _ her, at the very least.

“We can’t be sure just yet.” Mayura warned, but still looked intrigued, “We should also consider his connection to Kagami Tsurugi-”

“They have no  _ connection.” _ Meloidae snapped, and Mayura arched an eyebrow.

It was too much for Lady Meloidae to even  _ consider. _ Marinette had already lost Adrien at the hands of that girl, and she  _ refused _ to believe that Chat Noir was headed in the same direction. Losing them both to the same rival would be…  _ unbearable. _ Chat Noir had a girlfriend, anyway. Right?

__________

“She dumped you!?” Nino gawked, staring at Adrien in shock. Alya frowned as well, clearly not expecting this new information.

“That’s not the point, but yeah.” Adrien said weakly, “Chat Noir said that she was melting down, convinced that she was going to die. She started saying all sorts of crazy stuff like that…”

Adrien trailed off, poking at his food apprehensively as he looked anywhere but at his two friends.

All three of them were parked in the hospital cafeteria, desperately waiting for  _ something _ regarding Kagami’s condition. Well, all  _ four _ of them, considering how Adrien’s bodyguard was waiting at the cafeteria’s entrance. Nathalie had fortunately allowed Adrien to remain at the hospital for the time being- albeit under the protection of his bodyguard.

Alya’s arrival had been a bit of a surprise, considering how she was grounded, but her parents had made an exception for this fortunately. The three of them were thankfully fortunate enough to get their hands on a seat before Adrien began telling them about everything that had happened.

“Hold on.” Alya looked concerned, “You’re saying that when Chat Noir let you know about your critically injured girlfriend… he also told you that you’ve been dumped?” She shook her head, and Nino looked bewildered as well.

“I… yeah, he probably screwed that up too.” Adrien sighed, not really in the mood to argue or embellish his lies any further.

“Screwed that up ‘too?’” Nino blinked, “He saved Kagami’s life, didn’t he?”

“Well, he didn’t stop Ladybug, did he?” Adrien snapped, scowling at Nino’s words, “And he didn’t save Kagami’s life- Kagami saved his!”

“I’m sure he’s doing the best he can though.” Nino was startled by his friend’s anger, “Dude, did you see how hard he got hit earlier? He’s gotta be almost as battered as Kagami at this point. He’s doing his part and then some.”

Adrien scowled, wondering how the hell his friend could see it that way. As the city’s only remaining permanent hero, it was his  _ responsibility _ to keep people safe-  _ especially _ his teammates. Ladybug had been akumatized for  _ days _ now, and he was still no closer to bringing her down. If it was Ladybug in his shoes, and he the one akumatized, Adrien had no doubt that this battle would already be over.

“He’s not doing enough.” Adrien growled, “If it wasn’t for him-”   
  


“That’s enough.” Alya interrupted sternly, unimpressed by his outburst, “Adrien Agreste, need I remind you of everything that Chat Noir has done for this city?” She eyed him critically, “I get that you’re upset about what happened to Kagami, and he  _ probably _ shouldn’t have dumped all of that stuff onto you.” Alya acknowledged, “But still: the guy fighting his ass off to undo all of this is the  _ last _ person you should be blaming.”

“For real.” Nino agreed with his girlfriend, looking at Adrien nervously.

“...right.” Adrien agreed, not in the mood to press the issue.

The three friends fell into an awkward silence, as Adrien tried to convince himself that he deserved to eat anything after all that happened. Nino and Alya had already finished their meals, but Adrien’s chicken wing had only endured a few pokes up to this point.

“So…” Nino was clearly uncomfortable with the silence, “Did- did Chat Noir tell you much more about her condition?”

Adrien shifted awkwardly, but filled him in nonetheless, “Yeah… he was really worried about her eyes, but the sentimonster’s poison got all over her apparently. And… there was something with her neck, too. Lady Meloidae attacked her and- and her yoyo wrapped around-” Adrien’s voice broke, and he looked away reflexively as he felt the beginnings of tears in his eyes.

“We get the point.” Alya said mercifully, shooting Nino a slightly nasty look, “We’ll know more as soon as the doctors let us go on back. There’s no point in speculating right now.”

“Right…” Nino looked a bit sheepish, “Sorry for asking.”

“It’s fine.” Adrien whispered, humiliated to be the recipient of all their pity, “Can we just… talk about something else?”

And so they did. They chatted lightly about their days, about more fond memories of Kagami, and how it was unfair that Alya was grounded, and that school was utterly destroyed meaning that they probably had vacation until Lady Meloidae was gone (Alya and Nino stubbornly used the word ‘when’ instead of ‘if’ when describing that possibility).

Somehow, Nino had never heard the exact details of the day Adrien and Kagami had first met- a situation that Adrien was quick to remedy. Kagami had been trying to join Adrien’s fencing team, and stubbornly insisted that she defeat the club’s best member to earn her place- a cavalier attitude that ended up getting her akumatized when she felt as though Marinette had called the match against her unfairly.

“Surprised you didn’t drag Marinette along today, actually.” Nino remarked, and Alya’s eyes immediately lit up.

“I tried texting  _ and _ calling!” Alya said immediately, and quickly whipped out her phone, “Let’s see… still nothing? What the hell is she up to…”

“I’m sure she’s okay.” Adrien said reassuringly when he saw the young reporter knit her brows in concern, “She wouldn’t have been at school when the attack happened.”

“I mean, she  _ was _ acting funny today.” Nino said, cupping his chin thoughtfully. Adrien was the one to shoot him a nasty look this time, as Alya’s eyes widened with worry.

“It was nothing  _ that _ serious.” Adrien said, “She was acting a  _ little _ unusual, but I’m sure it’s just because of everything going on.”

In all of the confusion, Adrien had almost forgotten about how strange Marinette was acting. From her weird comments first thing in the morning to the awkward conversation Adrien had shared with her in class, something was  _ definitely _ off with her. He hadn’t been able to put his finger on it in class, but he had to admit he was slightly worried.

“She also went full goth.” Nino remarked, chuckling slightly, “Dyed her hair completely dark… the whole deal.”

“...Marinette did this?” Alya stared blankly at the two boys, as though waiting for them to admit that they were kidding, “Oooookay. If she doesn’t start answering my calls soon, I’m gonna kick down the bakery door and shake it out of her.”

“Let me know how it goes.” Nino said with a soft smile.

Adrien was about to speak up, and add that he too was interested to learn what was going on, when a nurse put a hand on his shoulder.

“Mr. Agreste?” The woman asked, blinking slightly as he face lit up with recognition.

“Yes… is this about Kagami?” Adrien asked, as he quickly realized who she was, “Can we go see her?”

_ “You _ can go see her.” The nurse said, and shot Alya and Nino an apologetic look, “Unfortunately Madame Tsurugi is only allowing him for the time being…”

__________

“Kagami…” Adrien breathed as he was finally allowed into the girl’s hospital room.

Any excitement he felt over being allowed permission was immediately shattered when Adrien got a look at the girl in question. There were bandages over much of her body- likely to treat the numerous burns- and her left arm was wrapped in a cast of some sort. Most concerning, however, was the black blindfold shielding her eyes from the outside- a treatment that Adrien didn’t even want to  _ consider _ the reason for.

_ I failed her… She needed my help, and I let her down. _

“Oh shit.” Adrien whispered, slumping against the wall slightly as he stared.

_ “Language, _ Mr. Agreste.” Tomoe Tsurugi announced her presence in a chair next to the door with a harsh reprimand, one that would’ve seemed out of place for anybody that didn’t know the stern matriarch. But Adrien had been around Tomoe enough to know that this was a merciful reaction by her standards- something that set off even more alarm bells about Kagami.

“I-” Adrien blinked, “I’m sorry, I just… is she going to be okay?”

“My daughter’s fate remains unknown.” Tomoe said quietly, and held up a hand to quiet Adrien before he could start panicking, “The doctors are confident that she will not die. However…” Tomoe’s face contorted with an indiscernible emotion, “The same cannot be said of her eyes.”

Adrien’s eyes widened, “You don’t mean-”

“I do.” Tomoe’s tone became grim, “Unless she is granted another magical miracle by our fallen heroine… Kagami will share my fate.” The old woman looked  _ bitter  _ as she spoke, and Adrien understood why.

“I’m sorry.” Adrien said earnestly, and Tomoe’s expression remained neutral.

“It was a predictable outcome.” Tomoe said quietly, her words harsh but her tone surprisingly soft, “Gallivanting about as a superhero… it was bound to end like this. When one lights a fire under their feet, they shouldn’t be surprised when they get burnt.”

“Kagami wasn’t the one to light this fire.” Adrien said quietly, looking down at the ring on his hand solemnly, “She was sucked into this fight… I- er, her ‘partner-’ was supposed to be keeping her safe-”

“A meager excuse.” Tomoe looked unimpressed, “Chat Noir was not the one to take my daughter’s sight. My daughter  _ chose _ to answer the call and fight to protect a foreign city that she barely knows.”

Adrien’s eyes widened in disgust at the woman’s words- how could she talk about her own daughter like this? It wasn’t her fault that she’d been crippled! He grit his teeth, remembering all of the times Kagami had lamented her mother’s control in private- not entirely different from his own father’s judgmental supervision.

She had no right to talk about Kagami in such a way.

“She wasn’t being foolish.” Adrien argued, and Tomoe arched an eyebrow at his anger, “Kagami is a  _ hero! _ If it wasn’t for her, Chat Noir would’ve been alone out there!” Adrien shook his head, growing more and more heated, especially since Kagami hadn’t signed up for this mission, “How could you say such a thing about her!? You’re being-”

“Lower your voice, child.” Tomoe said sternly, clearly unimpressed by the outburst, “And do not presume to lecture  _ me.” _ Tomoe shook her head, sighing slightly, “Your judgement is…  _ clouded. _ No doubt your opinion of me is tampered by my daughter’s resentment.”

Adrien blinked at the woman’s self-awareness.

“Kagami’s feelings about me… they are not baseless.” Tomoe said quietly, staring in the direction of her daughter’s mangled body despite her blindness, “But know this- my words are not meant as an insult. My daughter acted foolishly, yes, but the world is not that simple.”

Adrien opened his mouth to protest, but Tomoe wasn’t finished, “However- one must never forget that the line between foolish and heroic is a thin one. And in this case…” Tomoe faltered for a second, “In this case… I believe that my daughter was both. As a mother, I care  _ deeply _ for my daughter, child. And yet, I stand proud of what she has done for the people of this city.”

The Japanese woman went silent, lowering her head slightly as her expression morphed into one of remorse.

“But…” Adrien trailed off weakly, “Kagami was-”

“Consider this.” Tomoe interrupted tiredly, “My daughter’s suffering… it came in pursuit of a noble goal, as foolish as it was. It came on her terms, fighting for something she believed in.” She was quiet for a moment, “There is honor in her disability…” Tomoe shook her head, “Not like mine.”

Kagami had told Adrien her mother’s story- once, as it was definitely a sore spot.

Tomoe Tsurugi had been an olympic fencer- one of the best out there. Like her father before her, Tomoe had won the gold medal for Japan three years in a row, bringing honor to both her family and nation. She had been on top of the world, and the young prodigy had signalled to everybody that she fully intended to continue fencing at an elite level until she was physically unable.

That day came a lot sooner than anybody had expected. Tomoe was critically injured in a car crash a year before Kagami was born- shattering a great fencing career as blindness overtook her.

“I… see.” Adrien said quietly, starting to understand what Tomoe meant, even if he didn’t quite agree, “But this still wasn’t her fault. Chat Noir should’ve had her back.”

“Chat Noir would be foolish to blame himself.” Tomoe said flatly, and Adrien was startled to see the elder Tsurugi woman giving him a very pointed look, “I am  _ certain _ that he did all he could- fought with all of the honor he could muster.”

“I… what?” Adrien stared at her dumbly, but Tomoe was now looking away.

A variety of thoughts swirled through Adrien’s mind- was Tomoe implying what he thought she was, or was Adrien simply imagining that extra flair in her voice? Adrien opened his mouth to speak again, but was interrupted when his phone began to buzz.

_“Adrien.”_ Nathalie’s voice was severe, but also _stressed,_ _“I got your message- do you have any update on Kagami’s status?”_

Adrien was surprised to hear genuine emotion in her voice, at least by Nathalie’s standards.

“I’m… yeah, I’m okay.” Adrien swallowed, “I’m sorry I didn’t call… I’m at the hospital with Kagami and her mother. Kagami… she’s in pretty bad shape. We both got caught up in the attack at the school, and-”

_ “I understand.” _ Nathalie said,  _ “But your father has demanded your presence as soon as possible. Does the situation demand your constant attention?” _

What kind of question was that?

“Um… I guess not?” Adrien said awkwardly, sparing the inured girl a look, “Kagami is still unconscious, and-”

_ “Please leave as soon as possible then.” _ Nathalie said, but quickly paused,  _ “Feel free to take your time- it’s unlikely that your father will allow you out of the house again anytime soon.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I took so long updating this story! I hope you enjoyed nonetheless, and I promise that the next chapter will have a bit more action.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette reasons with her evil twin, while Adrien tries to find his partner.

“You need to stop.”

Lady Meloidae opened her eyes, almost lazily, and smirked at the scowling girl in front of her.

She had been resting on top of the bakery ever since Mayura’s…  _ visit. _ Apparently Hawkmoth wanted her to comb over all of  _ Francois Dupont’s _ school records- most likely in the hopes of learning some clue towards Chat Noir’s true identity. Lady Meloidae wanted to find him as well, but certainly didn’t mind having a couple hours to herself, either.

Especially since she had a guest…

“I see you’ve figured out what’s going on here again.” Lady Meloidae chuckled, and Marinette folded her arms across her chest, “I’m glad- all of this is for your own good, after all.”

“No it’s not.” Marinette shook her head stubbornly, “You might think you’re helping me, but you’re really just helping  _ Hawkmoth, _ like any of his other brainwashed servants.”

“Why not both?” Lady Meloidae arched an eyebrow, “Hawkmoth gets his jewelry, and you get retribution against everybody that’s ever wronged you. I fail to see the issue.”

“Because what you’re doing is wrong!” Marinette said desperately, pacing even though she wasn’t really there, “I don’t know  _ everything _ that’s going on out there… but I know that people are getting hurt.” Marinette paused, “I felt something earlier… your  _ guilt. _ What did you do?”

Lady Meloidae scowled- apparently the connection she felt with Marinette was a two-way street, “Nothing that  _ you _ need to concern yourself with.”

“Somehow I doubt that.” Marinette returned the scowl, “Let me guess- they  _ deserved _ it?”

Lady Meloidae gave her a dark look, “Last I checked, it was  _ you _ and Tikki that got me to give Kagami a Miraculous in the first place.”

Marinette’s eyes widened in horror as she realized the meaning of her doppelganger’s words. Lady Meloidae could physically  _ feel _ the despair in Marinette’s heart as she realized that Kagami had been the day’s casualty- the surge of emotion was like a punch to the gut, and Meloidae had to hold back a gasp.

“You…” Marinette stared at her, “Is s-she… is Kagami alive?”

“I’m sure she is.” Lady Meloidae forced her expression to stay neutral, even as her own emotions began to swirl inside, “She helped Chat Noir fight the sentimonster, but I don’t know what happened next.”

Marinette eyed her warily, “...you were bothered by it.”

The two girls stared at each other, Lady Meloidae growing more and more  _ pissed _ the longer she looked at her counterpart. In truth, she couldn’t be sure what exactly she felt after she saw Kagami’s injuries, but Marinette’s words struck a nerve nonetheless.

“It doesn’t matter.” Lady Meloidae growled, “Once Chat Noir showed up, Kagami could’ve left at any time.”

“Of course it matters!” Marinette argued, waving her arms in exasperation, “You need to  _ stop _ this! You know that what you’re doing is wrong- even if you’re too stubborn to admit it.”

“Hm.” Lady Meloidae scoffed, “I wonder where I get that from…”

“And what about Hawkmoth?” Marinette challenged, still searching for an opening, “If there’s anybody that deserves your wrath, it’s gotta be him! He’s done  _ far _ worse than any of them!”

Of course Marinette didn’t understand. Somehow, despite the way she’d been treated, her hatred for Hawkmoth was still more powerful. Lady Meloidae fixed her with a condescending smile- similar to what one might offer a naive child.

“Always the hero.” Lady Meloidae mocked, “You know, it wouldn’t  _ kill _ you to think about yourself every once in a while.” Marinette opened her mouth to argue, but Lady Meloidae wasn’t finished, “Don’t get me wrong- Hawkmoth is a waste of breath that deserves to get his ass kicked. But is that really  _ your _ fight?”

“Of course it’s my fight!” Marinette snapped, “I have a responsibility to protect this city!”

“And why do you have that responsibility?” Lady Meloidae pressed, “It wasn’t because of anything  _ you _ chose. Last I checked, some old dude in a Hawaiian shirt drafted you without warning to fight  _ his _ battles.” Lady Meloidae let that sink in, “He didn’t  _ ask _ for your help, and he didn’t ask if you wanted to be the Guardian, either.”

Marinette opened her mouth to argue, but nothing came out. After all, what was there to say, really? Lady Meloidae  _ knew _ Marinette, and she knew her well. The bitterness that she felt towards Chat Noir, the jealousy she harbored towards Kagami… it all came from Marinette. Her frustration with Master Fu was no different.

“That… that doesn’t matter.” Marinette insisted, but the strain in her voice was obvious.

“Of course it matters.” Lady Meloidae gave her an unimpressed look, “You can lie to yourself all you want, but it won’t work on me.”

Lady Meloidae had no idea where Master Fu was at this point- London, maybe somewhere else? Wherever it was, she had no doubt that the man was living far more comfortably than he deserved, shielded from the burden he’d thrust onto Marinette without a second thought. Marinette actually blamed herself for Master Fu’s identity getting exposed- as ridiculous as that was.

She swore to herself- the old man would be getting a visit from Lady Meloidae at some point, as soon as her business in Paris was settled.

Lady Meloidae continued, “The weight of the world has been thrust onto your shoulders- no help from Chat Noir or any of your other supposed ‘friends.’”

Marinette immediately snapped, “None of this is their fault! I’m sure that Chat would help me if I asked-”

“You shouldn’t have to  _ ask.” _ Lady Meloidae interrupted, her scowl quickly returning, “What? Don’t tell me that you’re still defending him? The guy that talked the talk about loving you, but gave up when you actually offered him a chance.” She turned up her nose in disgust, “Last I checked, he’s the reason you turned to me to begin with.”

Marinette looked torn, simultaneously searching for a counter to Lady Meloidae’s arguments and fighting off the impending realization that the supervillain had a point- as twisted as it seemed. Lady Meloidae smirked slightly, as the girl remained silent for the better part of a minute. This truly was for her own good- she’d understand that eventually.

“You’re right…” Marinette deflated a bit, “About me lying to myself, that is.”

“I’m right about a lot more than that.” Lady Meloidae chuckled, but Marinette ignored her.

“I know you.” Marinette said, and fixed her with a cold look, “The things you’re saying… they’re familiar.”

“Of course they are.” Lady Meloidae smirked, and put a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder, “And of course you know me- I’ve always been with you, Marinette. You hear my voice, everytime that somebody wrongs you. I’ve pushed you, and pushed you…  _ begging _ you to stand up for yourself, but to no avail.” Meloidae shook her head sadly, “And now… Hawkmoth’s made it so that I get to call the shots.”

The akuma was a beautiful thing, really. Marinette was beginning to understand- Lady Meloidae had  _ always _ existed in some way, even though she remained nameless and formless. Dark impulses that she wouldn’t have dreamed of acting on became Marinette’s regular behavior, combined with a surge of raw  _ power _ afforded by the little butterfly.

In a word-  _ incredible. _

__________

Chat Noir perched on top of the Notre Dame Cathedral, scowling slightly as he gazed out upon the city below.

The conversation with his father had been… predictable. True to form, Gabriel Agreste had been  _ livid _ about Lady Meloidae’s attack after fencing practice, somehow acting as though the entire incident was Adrien’s fault. Nathalie’s prediction had been accurate- Adrien was not to leave the house until Lady Meloidae was gone, something that was more of a blessing than a curse considering the only things cancelled were photoshoots. 

Fortunately, Gabriel Agreste was inattentive as he was restrictive, so house arrest was actually a blessing in disguise- Chat Noir had no trouble sneaking out.

“Come on, m’lady.” Chat Noir muttered to himself, simultaneously dreading their inevitable clash and itching to finally end things. He rubbed the Dragon Miraculous lightly, wondering if the power it afforded would really be enough to make a difference against an enemy that was both ridiculously powerful  _ and _ incredibly cunning.

Plagg didn’t think so. The kwami had spent the better part of an hour arguing that Adrien would be better served giving the Miraculous to somebody else- Nino or Alya being the most obvious candidates. Plagg was adamant that fusing the Miraculous together was far too dangerous to make a habit out of, and that somebody to watch his back would be more useful anyways. Longg, the dragon kwami, seemed to agree with Plagg, albeit in a far more respectful way. 

And yet, despite their protests, Chat Noir stood alone. After what happened to Kagami… he  _ couldn’t _ get anybody else involved. Lady Meloidae was too powerful, and too  _ ruthless. _ Mayura could make another sentimonster at any time, and there was nothing to stop his former partner from using another Miraculous. Bringing somebody less experienced into the fight was only going to get more people hurt, and Adrien  _ refused _ to let that happen again.

This needed to end- for the sake of Rose, Kagami, and everybody else that was suffering as a result of Ladybug’s akumatization.

“Damn it…” Chat Noir hissed, growing more and more impatient as Lady Meloidae remained absent.

There was…  _ something _ in the air. Call it a sixth sense, but Chat Noir could’ve sworn that he sensed her presence nearby, watching him. Maybe his mind was just playing tricks on him…

He looked around again, blinking slightly as he recognized Marinette standing on top of her balcony, staring directly at him as she leaned onto her railing. Chat Noir forced a confident smile, and gave the girl a friendly wave- a gesture that she reciprocated, albeit hesitantly.

“Well, well, well.” Chat Noir vaulted over to her position, adding a teasing note to his voice as he took a seat on the balcony’s railing,  _ “Somebody’s _ up late.”

“So are you.” Marinette said bluntly- her voice lacking its usual warmth as she regarded him, “What are you doing here?”

“Well…” Chat Noir blinked at her darker tone, “I’m… hoping to run into Ladybug, actually.”

Chat Noir hung out with Marinette on her balcony with some regularity- ever since the night he had battled Glaciator. There was no set time for them to meet up, and it probably only happened once or twice a month, but Chat Noir always made a point to pay her a visit when he spotted her.

Most recently, they had chatted a couple of nights ago- the day before Lady Meloidae first appeared. Their conversation had ended on a slightly awkward note, with Chat Noir insisting that there was nothing between him and Ladybug, something that seemed to genuinely upset the girl. It was funny- Adrien had no idea that Marinette was a Ladynoir shipper.

“Really?” Marinette looked incredulous, “Why the hell do you want to do that?”

“I’m picturing a climactic final battle.” Chat Noir decided to make light of the situation, “Creation and destruction- yin and yang- good and evil. A fight that will tear at the fabric of reality itself as we ascend the Eiffel Tower. We’ll probably destroy it, just for good measure, and then-”

“You really think you have a chance against her?” Marinette interrupted, arching a skeptical eyebrow, “I saw how your first few fights went- I somehow doubt things will be as ‘climactic’ as you’re picturing.”

Chat Noir flinched, the words acting as a punch to his gut. He was fairly certain that she was just teasing him- as inappropriate as it was- but the words still stung.

“Geez, thanks for the vote of confidence.” Chat Noir rolled his eyes, “You realize that me getting my ass kicked will probably suck for you too, right?”

“Hm.” Marinette looked genuinely intrigued by the comment, “How so?”

“Because then Hawkmoth gets to rule the world or whatever…?” Chat Noir trailed off, confused by the question, “And there’s no way that’s a good time for  _ anybody.” _ He shook his head, “You’ve seen what he does… what he turns people into. Somebody like that shouldn’t get their hands anywhere  _ near _ my Miraculous.”

“Probably not.” Marinette conceded, and gave him a tired look, “Don’t you think that your fight could at  _ least _ wait until the morning, though? I doubt she even shows up tonight…”

“I’m sure she will.” Chat Noir said, and took a deep breath, “In fact… I feel like she’s nearby. Call it my feline sense.”

The girl looked  _ bored _ now, “I’m pretty sure that’s not a thing?”

“So was I, until tonight.” Chat Noir responded, growing in frustration as she took another look out at the city, “But I still feel her…” He trailed off, hesitating slightly as he tried to focus in on the sensation.

“...interesting.” Marinette remarked, furrowing her brow as she folded her arms.

Both teenagers were silent as Chat Noir listened with his enhanced hearing- desperate to pick up on any sign of his wayward partner. Beyond the constant stream of vehicle noise, there were some birds moving… Marinette’s parents were putting something away downstairs… and it sounded like somebody was playing an instrument in a nearby apartment.

But there was no sign of Lady Meloidae.

“Chat Noir…” Marinette’s voice was suddenly a lot quieter, “Can I… ask you a question?”

The superhero frowned at her shift in tone, “Of course.”

“Why do you think Ladybug was akumatized?” Marinette asked, and she seemed to be studying him as she spoke, “Somebody like her… what would she have to get upset at? She seems to have everything going her way…”

Chat Noir paused, considering the question.

It was something that he’d been pondering ever since the moment ‘Lady Meloidae’ first appeared, and he didn’t feel like he was any closer to uncovering the truth. Ladybug… the girl that was almost universally adored,  _ akumatized. _ It seemed like an impossible scenario at a glance, and yet here they were.

Marinette was still waiting for a response.

“I don’t know.” Chat Noir admitted, “She went after Chloe first, but I doubt she was the reason, for  _ once.” _ He laughed bitterly, “Ladybug… she’d been acting funny for the last couple of weeks I guess, since a little bit after Miracle Queen. She didn’t seem  _ upset _ or anything, but still…”

Ladybug had acted… different after the fight with Miracle Queen. She had new responsibilities to deal with- Master Fu’s amnesia left her as the last Guardian of the Miraculous, a duty that she had never asked for. And while she was clearly willing to do her part, Adrien could sense that something was off with her.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Shortly after that, Ladybug seemed to shift yet again- her composure around Chat Noir almost completely  _ collapsing. _ In some ways, it reminded him of the way that Marinette sometimes acted around Adrien- on edge, almost  _ afraid _ of him, for whatever reason. It never got in the way of their fights with Hawkmoth or anything, but Chat Noir was still thrown off by it.

“I saw a theory about that on the Ladyblog.” Marinette said, her face an enigma, “I think we talked about it when you visited last…”

“Oh, that?” Chat Noir couldn’t help but roll his eyes, “Look- I like Alya, but she was running tabloid gossip with that one.”

Marinette’s eyes seemed to  _ spark, _ “Is the idea of Ladybug liking you really  _ that _ insane?”

_ “Yes.” _ Chat Noir actually chuckled a bit, “And even if she does… why would that make her get akumatized? It’s not like she confessed or anything.”

“But you said that you’d reject her if she did.” Marinette said accusingly, and Chat Noir blinked.

“Well yeah, but I said that to  _ you.” _ He gave her a confused look, “I know it’s a hell of coincidence, since she was akumatized the next day, but-”

Chat Noir’s eyes widened suddenly.

_ “What?” _ Lady Meloidae’s eyes were filled with hate as she struggled against Chat’s hold,  _ “Don’t tell me you’re still holding out for whatever fangirl you’re with now!” _

Lady Meloidae’s words had caused him to panic in the moment, but he’d forgotten about it in all of the chaos that unfolded afterwards. Somehow… Hawkmoth’s latest creation knew that Chat Noir had a girlfriend. Not just a rumor- she was confident enough in that knowledge to try and use it against him in battle.

And Chat Noir had only ever told one person about his girlfriend… the same person that he and Nino had both observed to be ‘acting strange.’

“Go on.” Marinette said, her voice now terribly  _ cold, _ “Tell me about this coincidence…  _ kitty.” _

Chat Noir didn’t have to look, but he did anyway.

He looked his once friend in the eye, horrified yet unsurprised as the blue in her eyes seemed to melt away- replaced by a putrid orange that he was quickly becoming  _ far _ too familiar with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter than usual today, but I hope you guys enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Lady Meloidae is based on the "meloidae" family of poisonous beetles, particularly the blister beetles that have a similar design to the akumatized Ladybug.
> 
> May or may not end up continuing this, let me know what you think!


End file.
